END
by xolef225
Summary: He shouldn't have remembered, and yet he did. His family was killed by dragons, his adoptive father sent him to the future, and his brother resurrected him as something that wasn't quite human anymore. He had too many questions and not a single answer.
1. Intro: He's from somewhere, sometime

(A/N) This is a new story that I started writing a little while ago, so I'm now posting the first snippet as an intro. I've got quite a bit of it written already, and I have a solid plan concerning the general direction of things. If nothing comes up, I should be able to upload the first actual chapter sometime tomorrow.

As a side note... yeah, the two stories I currently have up will NOT be updated. It's been at least five years since I've touched either of them, and to be completely honest, I wouldn't be able to force myself to continue where my younger self left off. I'd like to think that some aspects of my writing have improved, so if I ever do feel so compelled as to continue where I left off, it would be as a rewrite of the original stories.

If you have any comments, inquiries, concerns, etc. that you feel should be responded to, please send me a DM. I accept any and all reviews with open arms and bated breath, but it is much easier to communicate both ways via direct messages.  
Enough of that, though. Please enjoy, and let me know what you think.

xxxxxxx

Natsu was annoyed. Natsu was angry. Natsu was distraught, confused, and sad.

Natsu felt betrayed.

Igneel was gone. There was no explanation to be had, no matter how much he wanted one, so he had to accept that all he knew for sure was the crushing fact that the one who took care of him, taught him, _raised him_, was no longer present as of two weeks ago.

As he aimlessly wandered the lively streets of another human town he came across, he kept his head low as he grumbled to himself. Whatever festivities were going on right now were ignored in favor of being stuck in his own little world.

It was probably for this reason that the boy didn't react as a gruff-looking man pushed him aside, then barreled straight into a street vendor's cart and at least four other people.

"Ouch…" he muttered, only realizing what happened once he hit the ground ass first. He shook his head, trying to erase the bad thoughts. He hated thinking too much.

It was with an indignant huff that he then realized what had just transpired; he was too agitated to let it go at the time. "STUPID —get back here!" Natsu shouted as he sprinted after his assailant. Being trained physically to be able to effectively use the lost magic known as **D****ragon Slayer Magic**, it didn't take him long to catch up to the relatively ordinary man despite his age.

Natsu tackled the man to the ground and got on top of him. In the back of his mind, he knew that he was being unreasonable. He didn't know the guy, and it was probable that he didn't mean to do it. Hell, maybe he was just drunk and stumbling around aimlessly and more or less harmlessly.

Natsu didn't care.

"Don't just go knocking people over, asshat!" the boy shouted. In his anger, however, he didn't pay attention to the man's stray limb that came around to bludgeon the side of his pink-covered head.

No longer being held down by the heated ball of uncalled-for rage, the assailant once again took off in a sprint.

"Piss off, brat! I don't have time for your bullshit," was the last thing a hazy-minded Natsu heard before the man disappeared.

"Urgh," Natsu pouted as he dusted himself off. Before he could walk away and forget about it though, he felt a firm hand on his shoulder holding him in place.

He turned around to see what appeared to be a police officer standing next to an ordinary-looking man with the plainest face he'd ever seen. In fact, the only distinguishing features he had were his glasses and tall, lanky frame. Both looked out of breath like they were either being chased or chasing someone themselves.

"Hey, young… man," wheezed the officer between breaths, "I see you've run into the repeat-offense thief that we've been tracking down for the past few days... Somehow, none of our sources have been able to properly flesh out what he looks like… You've had a bigger run-in with him than anyone else we'd asked yet, so would you mind helping us with a facial composite?"

Natsu tilted his head in confusion. "Space-full… what? Anyway, sorry but I wasn't really paying attention to his face all that much."

"That's no problem. That's why they brought me along," chimed in the plain-looking man once he caught his breath, "You seemed pretty into it when you took down the suspect like that—by the way, that was quite dangerous, kid."

Natsu averted his eyes, but otherwise showed no sign of acknowledging the criticism.

"But as I was saying, it would make sense that you were too distracted to notice some things. Luckily, I use a magic called **Mind Remap**. I won't bore you with the details, but the gist is that anyone I use it on will have their unconscious and subconscious memories brought forward to their working memory. This includes memories that would otherwise be out of reach, like repressed memories or those that are magically removed. Pretty cool huh?" The mage struck a proud pose, propping his hands on his hips.

Natsu, of course, didn't understand most of what the man just said. "So like, you're magic will make me remember or something?"

The mage nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! It's actually a really cool and useful magic. In fact, what it does is immediately repair broken neuron pathways to the brain, and sometimes even make new ones! You see, when—

The policeman good-naturedly tapped him on the back of the head. "You're boring the kid with the details, Ricco."

The mage shot both Natsu and the officer sheepish glances, then coughed and looked away. "Sorry. So what do you say? I'm sure we can make it worth your while. Hungry?"

The two adults took the eager bobbing of the child's head as a yes.

As they made their way to what Natsu assumed to be a sort of police station, Natsu let his curiosity get the better of him.

"Hey tall guy," he called out to the mage, "aren't you a police officer or something? Why is the other guy the only one wearing policeman clothes?"

Ricco, the mage, looked confused for a moment. However, he quickly regained his smile. "You don't know what a guild wizard is, right?"

"Uhm, _obviously_ I do. Do _you_ know what a kilt wizard is?" bumbled Natsu trying (and failing miserably) to sound more informed than he really was. Fortunately, the wizard took his comment with good humour.

"Then I'll just explain it to my friend Mickey here. I'm sure _he'd love_ to know." He gave the officer next to him a look. "You see Mickey," though he was addressing the officer, the pointed glances towards Natsu evidenced who he was really talking to, "a _guild _wizard is a wizard who's employed by a government-approved organization or group known as a guild. Basically, we take odd jobs and requests that would be made easier with the help of magic. So really anything from chores to taking out evil monsters."

Natsu's eyes lit up at the last bit.

"Guilds can offer a lot of different jobs, but some of them have specialties that make some wizards more likely to join than others. My guild is called Auris Owl. We're known for our mages that specialize in information gathering, so the police force and the military have us help out a lot when they deal with difficult investigations"

Natsu, however, had always been a simple and one-track-minded individual. "What about the monsters! You fight a lot too right?" In his excitement, he lit his hand on fire.

Ricco masked his surprise at finding out about Natsu's magic ability quite well. "Fire mage, huh? Someone like you would do well in a more competitive guild like Phantom Lord or Fairy Tail. I hear they both have powerful members with a tendency to take on all kinds of crazy quests. I would recommend Fairy Tail myself, though. Up-and-coming, young talent, all that."

"Fairy Tail, huh?" Natsu nodded comically, "I see! I see!"

Small talk being done, it wasn't long before the group made it to the local police department. The duo had Natsu take a seat in a small (but not unwelcoming) room, and the mage Ricco placed his index finger on the young boy's forehead.

"I'm tampering with your mind here, but this is super safe. I've done it countless times, and it's a simpler process than I made it seem earlier. Are you ready?"

Natsu shrugged his shoulders; Ricco took that as a go-ahead.

It should have been safe.

It should have been simple.

It was cast on humans countless times.

But Natsu hadn't been human for a long time… not that he knew that or anything.

The pink-haired boy's eyes glazed over, and multiple memories surfaced to the front of his mind. They were memories that should have never returned to him.

**He had a family**

_Mom! Dad! Look what nii-chan made, isn't it awesome? You're so smart, nii-chan!_

_Now, now, Natsu. Zeref is busy right now but I'm sure he'll play with you later, okay?_

_M'kay!_

**He died**

_Run Natsu! Go find your brother!_

_Blood_

_Mom died._

_Blood_

_Dad died._

_Blood _

_NO! THE DRAGON—_

_He died._

_Darkness_

**His brother did something… unspeakable**

_I did it… the demons made by the hand of dark magic have all lead to this moment. My greatest creation… Etherious Natsu Dragneel… You'll help me die, won't you Natsu?_

_He lived._

**He was given to Igneel**

_Please, my friend. Raise him. Nurture him. Make him strong, so that one day he may…_

_…You were wrong to do this, Zeref._

_Natsu is the only thing left on this earth I care about!_

_He will not remember you. He will not know you. To him, this conversation never happened. Do you understand this?_

_…Yes._

**There were others**

_Aww, no fair Natsu-nii, how did you catch so many?_

_Hehe! Aren't I the best? Come, Wendy, Sting, Rogue, I'll teach you all how to fish like a pro!_

_Y'er a dumbass, pinky!_

_Piss off, bolt-brain!_

_Now, children. Calm down! Do you want me to read you all a story? _

_Oh! Yes please, Teacher Anna!_

**He knew nothing**

_This is it. The eclipse gate. The children will remember very little of what has transpired here._

_Once they reach the other side, it may rest on their shoulders… to defeat Acnologia._

…

He snapped back to awareness.

It was… strange. Everything was strange. Nothing made sense anymore. It didn't feel fake, it simply felt like he _remembered_.

Like he remembered crucial, life-defining things about himself that he had no idea why he forgot to begin with.

"Hey kid, you alright?"

He looked to see the wizard Ricco and officer Mickey staring at him worriedly.

The face of a thief was the last thing on his mind.

"…Sorry. Can't remember" Natsu nearly-whispered laconically as he pushed past the two adults and dashed out of the building as fast as possible.

"What's with the kid? That's never happened before… Right?" said Mickey as he scratched his chin.

Ricco slumped onto the chair previously occupied by their witness. "Not that I know of, no."

…

"We're back to where we started now, right?"

"Fucking hell."


	2. Tower

(A/N) So this is the first actual chapter of the story. I won't be committing to an update schedule until I see how long it takes me to write any new chapter on average from this point on. As for chapter two, however, it's safe to say that it'll be out soon since it's already written (along with a few others).

Concerning the next few chapters: The story will touch on elements and events that happen before the start of canon. Some of those events will either happen in different orders, at a different time or will happen differently altogether. This is (for the most part) intentional, and will have a significant impact on the plot as it progresses (though it may be subtle at first).

Please enjoy.

xxxxxxx

Why did he forget everything? Why did he forget everyone? Why did his brother give him to Igneel? Did Igneel really love him? Did he really die? Is he alive? What _is_ he? WHAT IS HE?

"WHAT AM I?!" Natsu shouted at the top of his lungs. He had long since fled the town in favor of the soothing isolation of the surrounding forests. There was nothing to disturb him but the sound of the blowing wind and the birds chirping in the distance.

He took three deep breaths to calm himself down. Nothing's changed, right? Or at least the plan hadn't. Find Igneel, get answers. Simple stuff. The only thing that changed is that he had to ask a lot more questions now than before.

He could see it now: _Hey Igneel, what's up? Oh by the way, why did you abandon your son in a forest? Also, what's up with my brother bringing me back from the dead as an ethema-whatever-thing and why can't I remember anything?_

He snorted. Who was he kidding, everything had changed.

Technically, nothing that was troubling him was new information. _He knew it._ He grew up with an older brother, he died in a dragon attack, and he had a mini-family in the form of the other dragon slayers and Teacher Anna. These were indisputable facts that were lost to him one at a time because _for some god-awful reason his memory had been altered multiple times._

From the corner of his eye, he could see the growing orange coloration of his surroundings that indicated that the sun was setting, which meant that it would be as good a time as any to find a nice tree to climb up and get some shuteye on a nice, broad branch. He did exactly that.

_"I need some answers. I still gotta find Igneel, but I need to figure out what my brother did to me first."_

With more on his mind than ever thought possible, Natsu slowly drifted into a light, uncomfortable slumber.

xxxxxxx

Natsu walked through the lively little town he stumbled across that very morning. It was quite a ways away from where he found himself before.

Eyes sparkling, he could barely contain the amazement he felt at seeing how animated everything was. This was the most humans he'd ever been around, and the streets were bustling with people jumping around like busy worker bees.

"I want to learn about demons. Now, if I was gonna learn something… how would I do that?"

Natsu wasn't much for academia.

Natsu ran to the first person that caught his eye. "Hey, mister!" The nameless man gave Natsu his attention after being called out, "How do I learn something?"

The man looked like he didn't know what to say. This random kid just ran up to him and asked him the most out-of-the-blue, strange question he'd heard in a long time. Well, just in case he was actually serious, "Uh, that building right over there is the library. That's basically the place anyone would go to if they're trying to learn something new… I think?"

That sounded pretty convenient to Natsu. All he had to do was walk into the building that was conveniently right in front of him and he'd magically learn about what he wants to know? Cool.

"Thanks, mister!" With that, the spitfire kid ran off.

"Yeah…sure."

xxxxxxx

Natsu was annoyed. He entered the "library" place, but it wasn't doing squat! He didn't feel like he was learning anything. To him, it just looked like a regular room with a bunch of stacks of weird paper.

"Hey what gives? Nothing's happening!"

For some reason, a bunch of the other people around him shot him resentful glares when he shouted.

"Try actually reading a book, idiot."

Natsu angrily turned to face the source of the voice. It was a kid around his age with blue hair and a strange facial tattoo.

"Tryna fight me, bastard?" Natsu cracked his knuckles.

"What? You can't be serious." The boy gave Natsu a condescending look, putting down the book he was looking through. "Don't know what a book is or something? Like, can you read? What are you even doing here, other than shouting and disturbing the peace and quiet?"

Natsu tried to keep a frown plastered on his face, but curiosity got the better of him. "Book?"

"…Seriously? Have you been living under a rock?" At first, the boy was just being mean because Natsu was inconsiderately yelling in a library. Now he didn't know what to think.

"What? No way!" rebuked Natsu indignantly, "I was living in the forest is all. I haven't been able to see much until recently."

"You… aren't messing with me. Who even lives in a forest? Why?" before the boy knew it, he had fully engaged in conversation with the newcomer.

"Well, my dad's a dragon, so he wouldn't fit in a normal house."

"…"

"…"

"A what."

"Dragon? Big, scales, wings? You know, like a… dragon."

The blue-haired boy looked unconvinced. "There's no way, quit screwing around."

"Hey!" that wounded Natsu's pride a little. He didn't like that the boy was denying his relation to his father. "I'm telling the truth, see?" He blew out a small puff of fiery smoke from his mouth, singeing the book the blue-haired boy was previously readying.

The boy's eyes widened, almost popping out of his head. He shot his hand out to pat the small flame, trying to put it out before the book burned and someone noticed. "SHIT! I believe you, crazy bastard, okay? Don't do that! Books are precious!"

Natsu ignored the good majority of what he was just told. "Books are precious?"

"Yeah," the boy seemed to be a little intrigued with Natsu's little magic trick, "if you read one, you can learn all kinds of things. I want to learn all about this world we live in, so I read a lot. One day, I want to explore the world, and see the things I read about for myself!"

The dragon slayer couldn't share his enthusiasm, however. "Sounds cool. Too bad I can't read."

"…"

"What? Something on my face? Say something, bluey."

"Don't call me "bluey". My name is Jellal Fernandez. And I guess I can help you out just this once, since I pity you–

"HEY!"

–If you tell me what you're looking for, I'll give you a hand finding the right book. Heck, if it's interesting I might even read the important bits for you."

Natsu forgot his annoyance immediately as if a switch were pulled in his brain. "You mean it? Thanks, Jellal! You can call me Natsu, I guess."

Jellal gave a small smile. "Sure thing Natsu. What are you looking for anyway?"

"Demons, or Etherious. Either one works I guess."

"…You sure say a lot of strange things. But you're in luck; I know this library like the back of my hand. There's only one book that even mentions demons, so there's no way you could've found it on your own. Hell, it's so worn out, that it doesn't even have a spine on it anymore. The librarian would have known where to find it."

Jellal had retrieved the book before he even finished talking. He dropped it on a nearby table. "Probably nothing on Etherious though, sorry!"

Natsu had no idea why a stack of papers would have a "spine", but he wouldn't question it too much. "Thanks, Jellal! I thought you were a prick at first, but you're actually a reliable guy, huh?"

Jellal chose not to comment on that, deciding instead to read out the only passage in the tome that had anything about demons.

"Demons are terrors. Demons are evil. Demons aren't natural. They are myths to some, but nightmares to others. Their magic is great, yet it isn't magic at all. They are creatures of destruction, released upon the world by the dark wizard Zeref."

Natsu started. "Zeref? Did you say Zeref? Could it be… It has to! Hey, does that book tell you anything else about him?"

"I don't get what you're obsessing about," answered Jellal, "but no, I don't think it mentions Zeref more than that."

"Oh." Natsu looked down at his feet. "Well, thanks either way for the info."

"But I know a bit about him myself."

"Really?" The pink-haired boy asked a little surprised.

"Yeah. From what little I heard, he was a super powerful mage that lived over four hundred years ago. Apparently he was so evil that traces of his corruption can still be seen today."

Natsu fell flat on his ass. "F-four hundred!– Nii-chan, what'd you do…"

"Natsu?" Jellal looked concerned. Natsu looked stricken for some reason.

There was no time to answer, however. A piercing scream was heard from outside, followed by a series of loud crashing sounds.

The two rushed to the entrance to see what was up alongside the rest of the library's occupants. What they saw was haunting.

There was a fire burning further down. There was a group of oddly dressed individuals walking through the middle of the town, casting spells to bind anyone that crossed their path.

They were wizards.

"ATTENTION! This village is now under our control. Resistance will be met with death. We are taking you to serve in the construction of the tool that will revive our Lord Zeref!"

The town was being attacked by a cult.

"Damn!" cursed Jellal, "Listen, we gotta get out of–

BOOM

Jellal's words fell on death ears, as Natsu shot himself forward like a rocket to smash his flame-covered fist into the nearest cultist.

"Get the kid! He's got magic!"

The blue-haired boy swallowed the lump that formed in his throat. That idiot!

Three of the cultists surrounded the pink-haired boy. Before he could react, yellow beams shot out from their staves that slammed into Natsu.

"GAAHH!?" Natsu's body hit the ground. He could feel his energy leaving him as his vision dimmed.

All went dark.

xxxxxxx

When Natsu came to, he felt really sore. He was in a small stone-walled cell with no windows or light. Sitting up, he saw the figures of people leaning against the wall next to him. He recognized one of the figures.

"Jellal? What's going on? Where are we?"

The bluey surprized Natsu by grabbing him by the neck. "Moron! Idiot! Faulty matchstick! This is all your fault. You rushed in without thinking, so because of you they ended up burning down the library and everyone in it! They captured everyone and took us to… wherever this is."

The words were caught in Natsu's throat.

"Now, now, young'uns. This is no time to be squabbling amongst ourselves," sounded an elderly voice, "We're all stuck here together, so we should do our best to help each other out."

Both kids turned to face the voice. It was an old, frail-looking man with a beard and long eyebrows.

"…"

Jellal sighed, letting go of Natsu. "Yeah, sorry. Natsu, this is old man Rob. He's been here a while, apparently."

"Kuku," chuckled Rob, "_A while _is certainly one way of putting it."

A red-haired girl about their age in a simple white dress walked up to the two. "I'm… Erza. Nice to meet you."

Another stepped up. Around their age, maybe a little younger. He had hair that was a much darker shade than Jellal's. "I'm Simon."

Following their example, the group of younger children behind her found the courage to introduce themselves too.

"I'm Millianna!"

"I'm Wally."

"…I'm Sho."

Natsu waved and smiled, forgetting all about his earlier scuffle with Jellal. "Hiya! Say… what's going on here? Where did those jerks take– WHERE'S MY SCARF!?"

"This is the tower of Heaven. I'm sorry if your scarf was important to you, but they have most likely seized it alongside the rest of your possessions."

They all turned to Rob.

"These children arrived only a little before you did, so none of you really know the specifics. These cultists have been going around the country, sacking defenseless villages, and taking their people. They force us to build this tower for them, day in and day out, until we drop from exhaustion."

"But why? Why bother doing any of this?" Jellal was agitated. He understood their predicament better than the others. Sho, Millianna, and Wally were too young; Simon and Erza hadn't seen enough of the world to fully understand.

Natsu was just an idiot.

But he knew. He was a smart kid, and if all the books he read told him anything it's that no one does _anything _without a reason.

"…They call it the R-System. This tower is a beacon to fuel enough magic power to bring someone back from the dead," answered the man reluctantly.

"Zeref. They said Zeref back at the village," said Natsu in a strangely calm voice.

"Unfortunately, you've got the right idea, kiddo," affirmed Rob, "these zealots are planning to–

KLANG

"Get up! It's time to work!" shouted to the guard that opened their cell door, "Single file line until you get to your designated area, and you!" he pointed at Natsu, "no funny business. Our benefactors suppressed your magic, so don't even think about it."

Not knowing what to do, the kids got to their feet. Jellal pulled Natsu up with him when he refused to budge.

"Everyone, just do as they say," whispered Rob, "they won't hurt you that way. Be safe, and I'll see you all tonight."

They were split up, and another guard came and led Natsu, Jellal, and Millianna to another part of the tower.

"Hey, Natsu," said Jellal, being mindful not to let their "supervisor" hear him, "can you really not use any magic?"

Natsu shook his head. "I can't feel a thing. Not even a puff of smoke."

"Wow!" exclaimed Millianna, "You can use magic? That's so cool! What kind?"

"Shut up!"

SMACK

The guard slapped the little girl across the face.

"No talking. Walk."

As Jellal helped Millianna to her feet, Natsu gave the guard's back a heated glare.

xxxxxxx

They'd been working for hours without rest, excavating the grounds around the tower. While this wasn't much of an issue for Natsu, the same couldn't be said for the other two.

With every swing of the pickaxe, Jellal took longer and longer to bring it over his head again. Millianna had long past her limits, and simply moving the tool caused her whole body to tremble. Eventually, it fell out of her grasp entirely.

"No breaks, girl!" A supervising guard took out his whip and struck the child on her side.

"KYAAAAGH!?"

She hit the ground and curled into a ball, screaming in agony. She didn't even know what hit her.

The guard walked towards her and pulled his leg back, ready to drive it right into her small figure. Before he could complete the action, however, a pickaxe buried itself in his mid-thigh.

"HNNNG!" the guard exclaimed in sudden pain, dropping the whip to grab the makeshift weapon. He looked to his assailant and was faced with a visage of pure evil.

**"Don't fucking touch her."**

To the guard, Natsu didn't look human at that moment.

The fear he felt didn't last long though, as immediately after the kid was subdued by the magic of seven other cultist wizards.

Natsu had his face pushed to the ground, and his arms shackled behind his back.

"Take the little bastard away! Make sure this attitude is corrected."

While the cultists were distracted, Jellal helped Millianna to her feet while trying to console her. He looked to the group taking away his fellow prisoner with worry.

"Natsu…"

xxxxxxx

The children, accompanied by Rob, were sitting quietly in their cell after a long day of work. Once they all returned, Jellal stroked the hair of a crying Millianna as he told the rest of them what happened to the pink-haired boy.

Simon was the first to speak. "Hey, you don't think they'll–

"No," interrupted Rob, "they surely didn't care for his behavior, but those zealots will want every able body they can get. They'll rough him up a bit but they won't hurt him too badly. Well, at least this time."

The children all sighed in relief.

Suddenly, the cell door swung open and a small body was thrown in. The door closed immediately after.

"Natsu!" Millianna rushed to the boy's side. He was battered and was missing his white prisoner's tunic. There were bloody slash marks across his back.

"Urgh," he ground out, "they wouldn't give me back Igneel's scarf no matter how many times I told them to…"

"You're really a moron, you know that?" Jellal masked his concern with insults.

Erza placed her hand on the injured boy's back. "We can't leave him like this."

"Don't worry, really! I'm fine. More importantly, Millianna, are you–

RIP

Erza ripped a bit off of the bottom of her dress, using it to wipe the blood off his back. Not knowing how to react, Natsu stiffened. He awkwardly sat on his knees as the girl worked behind him.

"Natsu," called Rob, "we all appreciate what you did for Millianna, but please be more considerate of yourself next time. We were worried, and look at the condition you're in now."

"What was I supposed to do, just let them hurt her like that?" asked the frustrated dragon slayer.

"No, not that either. How should I say this…" Rob stroked his beard in thought, "we had a saying, back in my old guild: _sacrificing yourself won't make anyone happy_. That is to say, if you exchange your life for a friend's, won't they be sad to live without you?"

Natsu didn't quite understand just yet, but he'd definitely remember those words.

"Old man Rob, you're a wizard?" Jellal seemed to be the only one that clued in on that bit.

"Kuku," laughed the man, "yes I am. Or rather, I was. Have any of you heard of Fairy Tail?"

"You were part of Fairy Tail?" despite his sorry state, Natsu practically sparkled with enthusiasm, "I heard they're a super awesome guild!"

"That's a strange name," commented Wally, "why's it called Fairy Tail?"

Rob smiled kindly. It was the face of a man remembering fonder times. "Do fairies exist?"

Natsu looked to Jellal. "You're smart, right? Do you know?"

Jellal shook his head. "I like books, but I'm not omniscient or anything."

"…Omelette-shit?"

"Moron."

"Exactly, it's a question no one really knows the answer to. But if they did, what would they look like? Would they have tails?" Rob looked at each youngster in the eyes, having captured their curiosity.

"That's what Fairy Tail is all about. It's a guild –no, a family– that works together to find the answers they seek. No matter what you're looking for, no matter where you came from, anything is possible when you have comrades to look after you. They can pick you back up when you fall, and reach heights you'd never think possible."

"And you fight a lot of strong monsters too, right?" Leave it to Natsu ask the important questions.

"Hahaha!" Rob bellowed good-naturedly, "Yes, I suppose there are some strong foes as well."

"Then I'm joining!" they all looked to the fiery boy, "When we get out of here, that's where I'm gonna go."

Erza raised her hand, "Me too!"

Wally and Simon followed, "Yeah!"

Millianna and Sho nodded their heads excitedly.

Jellal looked Natsu in the eyes, then looked away. "I always wanted to see the world… But I guess I wouldn't mind exploring with some friends every now and then."

Rob looked at the cheerful exchange fondly. He could feel his eyes tearing up.

_To think that even in a place like this… I'd be able to see smiles like those. I'll know these children will reach you one day, Makarov. Freedom is in their hearts._

xxxxxxx

The months passed, and they were still stuck in that terrible prison. The summer heat had long since turned to a biting, winter cold.

Natsu shivered, unable to wrap his arms around himself to conserve body heat. His limbs were chained to a rough stone wall that scratched him whenever he moved.

None of this ever happened when he had his magic. He was never too cold, he was never too hot, and he was never this _weak_. He had no idea how they sealed his magic, but he was sick of feeling this way.

It was the sixth time this month that they took him in for "correction". It was getting more frequent, even though he promised the gramps that he wouldn't get himself in trouble way back then.

He just couldn't help it. It took a while to notice, but he was much easier to anger after he lost his strength as a dragon slayer. Whenever a cultist hurt one of his friends, it just felt _right _to get into a fight with them.

This time, it was a little worse than the rest. Erza and Sho were talking, and out of nowhere a guard came and slammed Sho's head against the wall they were mining. He was knocked unconscious instantly, and his head wouldn't stop bleeding.

Seeing red, Natsu didn't remember much after that. If he beat the man to death, he wouldn't even know it.

"We should just kill him. He's a good worker, but he causes too many problems. That's the eighth man he's gravely injured in three weeks."

**"No."**

In his half-delirious state, Natsu couldn't make out who was speaking.

"But master, he alone has pushed back the schedule by–

**"The boy lives. He interests me."**

"Of course, master."

Something hit Natsu in the back of the head and he blacked out.

xxxxxxx

"You're awake."

Sitting up, he looked at Jellal with a pout. The bluey didn't look impressed, and neither did Erza who stood behind him with a worried frown.

"I'd tell you why what you did is stupid _again_, but it doesn't matter. We're breaking out," she said.

"…What?" Natsu was definitely caught off guard.

"Tonight. We can't afford to wait any longer. Sho needs medical attention, and gramps won't make it through the winter at this rate."

True to Jellal's words, Sho sat awkwardly between Wally and Simon with both of their shirts wrapped messily around his head. Rob was leaning against the other wall with his head down, barely able to stay conscious. Millianna hugged the old man's arm worriedly.

Natsu got to his feet. Ignoring his throbbing head, he dusted off the rags he called pants. "So what's the plan?"

The tattooed boy grabbed a key ring from a dark corner in the room.

"That's–

"Relax, they won't find out. These locks are mass-produced with the same combination, so no one will know we're the one who took them."

"But where did you–

Jellal was too fired up to even let his friend finish his sentences. "You have Erza to thank for that. While the rest were worried about subduing you, she took it from the body of the guard you beat up."

The redhead looked to the side, cheeks flushed. "I don't approve of you getting into fights with the guards, but that doesn't mean I don't realize that we all need to do everything we can."

"Thanks, Erza." Natsu gave the bashful girl a thumbs up.

And so they waited. A few hours later, all activity outside their cell had quieted, and no guards could be seen walking around anymore.

"It's time," whispered Jellal. The kids all got to their feet, and Simon and Erza helped Rob to his.

"You kids should leave an old man like me. I'll only slow you down. Go live your dreams."

"What are you saying, gramps?" whispered Natsu heatedly, "That's not going to happen. You're our family."

Everyone nodded in agreement, and Lillianna gave the man a hug.

"You..." Rob sighed in exasperation, but he notably made no further attempt to dissuade them.

Sho slipped his small hands through the bars and unlocked the cell door with a soft "click".

Their hearts felt like they were going to burst from their chests as they opened the door. It kept creaking, so it wouldn't be out of the question for a guard to have heard it.

Jellal motioned with his hands for them to follow him, taking the lead. Every day, on the way to work, he made sure to memorize every path they traversed and how they interconnected. He would lead them down the most secure path to the exit.

They felt so nervous they could pass out. They were really doing it!

They stopped in front of an unassuming door. "This leads to the stairway that goes down to the eastern docks," explained the leading boy, "I don't think I've ever seen the cultists use it much, so there shouldn't be any guards here. We can leave before they even notice we've left."

"Man, for an old geezer and a bunch of kiddies, you made it pretty far."

They all froze on the spot. Who just said that?

They turned to face a tall, burly man looking down on them with an arrogant smirk. He had a green mohawk, and oddly enough screws sticking out of his head.

They were caught.

"It was a good run, but it's time for your PUNISHMENT!" With a shout, the large man swung his fist at them. With one blow, he knocked out Wally, Sho, and Millianna.

"No!" shouted Simon as he ran to his fallen friends. Before he could be stopped, he was picked up by their assailant and thrown against a wall.

The three remaining kids didn't know what to do. What was essentially their little siblings were thrown around like ragdolls.

"Damn it all!" shouted Natsu. _If only I had my magic! I'd totally be able to–_

"I won't let you lay another hand on these children."

The three looked to Rob in surprise as he stepped in front of them protectively. He stood straighter than he'd ever seen him stand.

"Who are– oh, I see," the green-haired man grinned, "could it be that you were a mage once upon a time old man?"

"Though I may have lost my touch a little, I am still Fairy Tail's Flame Wizard." A flurry of embers surrounded the man.

The dark wizard's smile got even larger. "Fairy Tail you say? The master will have a good laugh over this one! I am Bis, and while it would be bad if I told you my affiliation, you should be satisfied to know that I'll be your executioner!"

Rob's embers turned into a swirling fire vortex that slammed into the enemy before he could blink. He looked as if he were preparing to do something else, but he was hit by a coughing fit.

"Rob-ji…" Erza called softly to the ailing man.

"Don't worry, my girl, I'll be–

BOOM

Rob was thrown back by a large shockwave.

"ROB-JI!"

"GRAMPS!"

"OLD MAN!"

The three children cried out at once, seeing their only adult role model getting critically injured.

"That was one hell of a blow, old man," a badly burnt Bis walked out from a cloud of smoke, "if you were a little younger, I might not have been able to get up from that! Hahaha!"

As he laughed, he pointed at the downed man, "And in your condition, that probably did more damage to you than it did to me, am I right?"

Frightened by the enemy's words, Erza ran to her grandfather figure. "No… He's wrong! You'll be okay, right? PLEASE, SAY YOU'LL BE–

"Erza," Rob but her off softly, "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid he's right. My body has nearly shut down entirely, and my heart will follow any second now due to magic deficiency. I put everything I had into that attack."

She was tearing up. "No…" she whispered weakly.

"Such beautiful hair… Do you remember, when you told us you never had a full name to call your own?"

The girl could do nothing more than nod at the question of a man who wouldn't be among the living much longer.

"Such a beautiful, scarlet red… I'm not that great at names, but that suits you just fine, no? Erza Scarlet… That is truly a most wonderful name…"

"Yeah… I think so too. Thank you Rob-ji… thank you so–

She cried, wrapping her arms desperately around the chest of a corpse.

"Are you done?" Bis pointed his weapon at the last three conscious kids. "I need to take you in for a more _effective _correction. Don't worry, though, even if you're just brats, you'll live. We need workers, not ocean weights."

He lifted the large single edge broadsword. "I'll use the blunt side, but if I mess up don't haunt me from the afterlife, got it?"

Something in Erza changed. It was like a feeling, an emotion; it was much stronger than anything she'd ever felt. It was as if something just _clicked _into place.

For the first time, Erza Scarlet used magic.

"HNGH!?" Bis tried his best to not howl in pain as his blade moved of its own volition and sliced his eye. Covering the injury with his free hand, his uninjured eye glared at the girl who stepped up in front of two very surprised boys.

Bis dropped his sword. Faster than any of them could twitch, he grabbed the girl by the face and slammed the back of her head into the floor. She was out instantly.

"ERZA!"

Natsu could barely hear his best friend's anguished scream over the sound of his own heartbeat. Why was his magic still sealed? Why was Rob dead? Why were all of his friends lying on the ground? Why was he so weak?

The magical gears he knew he had wouldn't turn, no matter how many times he tried to force them. Focus, turn, blank. Focus, turn, blank. Focus, turn, blank. Blank. Blank. Blank blank blank blank blankblankblank–

The flat of a blade hit both of them at once.

"FUCK!" shouted Bis. "Little bastards."

He looked at the last two boys to fall, "Now which one was it that master Hades wanted _her _to see?"

He scooped up all the kids in his massive arms, leaving the old man's body. "I'll just give the annoying little cunt the blue one, to hell with it."

xxxxxxx

When Natsu came to, he was once again chained to the wall he'd grown so familiar with. Only this time he wasn't alone.

To his left, chained in much the same way, were Wally, Millianna, Sho, and Simon. The youngest three seemed to be fine, more or less, but Simon's jaw looked like it was in shambles.

To his right lay Erza. Other than himself, she was the only one who was awake. She was trembling.

"Erza?" he called out weakly. Turning his head to face her more directly, he then saw what had her scared.

The man that caught them earlier was crouched down in a squat, face to face with the redhead. He sported a grin that belied the anger he was feeling within. "Well, well, little girl. It looks like we have a spectator. Real shame the one with the tattoo won't see this too."

His bandaged face looked Natsu in the eyes. "Enjoy the show, kid!"

He Jabbed a knife into Erza's eye socket.

"HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGH!?"

It was blood-curdling. It wasn't a scream, nor was it a cry, it was something else that Natsu knew he never wanted to hear from that girl's throat.

Rob was dead. For all he knew, so was his best friend.

Erza was being mutilated before his eyes.

There wasn't a damn thing his pathetic self could do about it.

Like a machine running on autopilot, he desperately and futilely tried to reach his only hope: a hope that was no longer within his grasp.

He tried to summon his dragon fire, but there was nothing. Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing–

Something broke.

He would use _nothing._

If he couldn't use magic, then he _wouldn't_.

**"Burn."**

It was fire, but no right-minded person would call it that. It was the color of freshly spilled blood, and rather than _heat_, it surely burned with the purpose to _end _something.

The dark wizard didn't simply burn, his very existence was erased.

"Na-chan..?" Millianna's quiet voice broke the following silence.

Natsu, now free from his restraints, turned to see the fearful eyes of people he came to view as his little siblings; people he had to protect. They were looking at him like he was the monster.

It hurt. It hurt so much. But right now, he had other things to worry about.

"Erza, talk to me!" he slapped her lightly on the cheek. She winced, but for now he only cared that she was alive and that she could hear him. "Listen! You need help, you all do! I have magic now, so once we find Jellal we can get out of here!"

As he melted her chains with a touch, it was all she could do to nod pathetically. He went and did the same thing for the younger kids, pretending he didn't see them wince as he cut them loose.

Simon gingerly touched his shattered jaw while Wally, Sho, and Millianna did all they could to tend to the older girl's wound.

"I hear you were looking for me."

Natsu turned to the entrance to the one face he wanted to see more than anything at that moment. "Jellal, I'm so glad you're safe! Quick, help us patch Erza up then we can leave! We're finally getting off this stupid–

"I'm not leaving, Natsu, and neither are you." A blast of magic shot out of the palm of his hand. If Natsu didn't move, it would have definitely hit him.

"Hey! What the fuck are you–

Another blast.

"Damnit!" Natsu's blood-red flames covered his fists as he was used to. Without him wanting to, however, the flames also came out of his temples and from his shoulder blades like a pathetic imitation of horns and wings. "What's gotten into you? And since when do you have magic?"

"That's quite the makeover you've got there, moron," Jellal ignored his friend's question, then began to laugh maniacally, "HA! I get it now! Things that never really clicked before are finally starting to make sense. Actually, looking at you now, the answer was staring me in the face the whole time, and I didn't even know it!"

Natsu frowned. "What are you on about, bluey bastard."

"Do you remember? It's been months, but _I_ remember pretty well. You came to me asking about demons, Zeref… you were asking like it was something personal. They were, weren't they!?"

Natsu kept his mouth shut.

"My eyes have been cleared; I can see it all! You aren't even using magic right now! The vile **curse **in the shape of flames… This whole time, you were one of Zeref's demons!"

The kids behind the pink-haired boy backed up further against the wall, dragging Erza's delirious form with them. The revelation certainly had them recoiling.

Natsu didn't have anything to say. He wanted to say something –anything!– but he couldn't refute anything that Jellal was saying. He just didn't know enough about himself to say for certain that he was wrong.

"Why are you doing this? Didn't you want to leave this place? WHAT'S GOTTEN INTO YOU!?" The pink-haired boy was definitely panicking. Just a little while ago, they were all going to leave this place together and join Fairy Tail. Now, they were in tatters and Jellal was acting like the dark wizard that captured him.

"Nothing has _gotten into me_ Natsu," was the reply in that same, soft, condescending tone that was used with him when they first met, "I've been simply showed that this is true salvation. By reviving Zeref, this world will be returned to what it should be. None of us will have to suffer again, do you understand?"

"You… You really went crazy, didn't you?"

"Funny that you of all people should be saying that! Hell, you should be joining me. Shouldn't a demon be overjoyed by the mere prospect of what this tower represents?"

"STOP THIS!"

It wasn't either of them who said this. It was a certain redhead, clutching the side of her face in pain. It seems that she managed to gather her wits enough to form a conscious thought.

"Both of you… Stop arguing. I unlocked my magic, Natsu, you have your magic back, and Jellal, you have magic now too somehow. This nightmare can finally be–!" She lost her footing, but quickly caught herself.

Natsu went to help her. "Er–

Dozens of guards rushed into their holding cell. "What have you done? Mind your place, you animals!"

The one who spoke had his head blown off by a blast of magic from Jellal. Before anyone could react, the boy quickly dealt with the other guards similarly.

"Pathetic. People like you have no place in my tower."

He killed them in cold blood.

Rage overtook Natsu. His new powers amplifying his physical capabilities, he seemed to simply _appear _before Jellal and socked him across the face.

Jellal was sent flying back, his body disappearing through the hole in the wall created upon his back's impact with it.

Natsu felt a burst of magical energy from where his friend landed just before security alarms sounded throughout the tower. He turned to face Erza and his other friends cowering behind her. "It looks like the guards are gonna be distracted for a while. Take everyone to the docks and find a boat. I'm gonna knock some sense into bluey."

"Will you be–

"I'll be fine. My magic is pretty strong, you know?" he wanted to sound sure of himself, but he had no clue what the hell these flames were supposed to be; they sure as shit weren't Igneel's flames.

Trying not to think too much about it, the girl gathered the others and had them make their way out of the cell.

Natsu nodded to himself once he knew for sure that his friends were out of his firing range. Running out to where he guessed Jellal landed, he was met with a haunting sight.

His blue hair was matted. Part of it was sweat, but most of it blood. Both his eyes and his tattoo seemed to glow maliciously as he glared at the panicking guard he had by the neck. All around him, there were bodies of cultists and prisoners alike.

"Jellal…" the two bonded quite a bit during their stay, being boys around the same age. The others were more like little brothers, and Simon mostly just followed Erza around wherever he could. But no matter what he thought of his friend, he didn't know if he could forgive this.

"Natsu…" the tainted boy turned his gaze to the fire user, "If you won't join me, then I'll just have to kill you. Sorry."

"THE FUCK ARE YOU SPOUTING, JACKASS!?" Like a flaming bullet, Natsu dashed towards his opponent. Everything under his feet disintegrated as he crossed it. He spun and aimed a twirling kick at Jellal's midsection.

Despite both of them having magic, Natsu still had the superior build. While Jellal tried to block, he couldn't stop the ridiculous amount of force that the eleven-ish-year-old packed in that single strike.

The magic aura surrounding him protected his body, but the same couldn't be said for his surroundings. Natsu's flames utterly consumed the walls, floor, ceiling, and anything else it touched.

As Jellal steadied himself, the whole tower rumbled.

"Demons really do have a penchant for destruction, don't they? Incredible… with one hit, you trashed this place pretty bad," mused the blue-haired boy. "But no matter. I'll rebuild it! This tower _will _be built, and it'll go up in a fraction of the time it took these fools!"

Without warning, he shot a beam of magic at Natsu. The dragon slayer was forced to counter with a flaming haymaker that pushed the attack back to a standstill.

"JELLAAAAAAAL!" Natsu's anger fueled his flames. In an instant, they shot out in every direction, incinerating the battlefield.

xxxxxxx

On the outside, the rest of the kids were slowly making their way to an abandoned boat on the east shore.

Erza fought through her pain to stay strong for her friends, "Wally, help Simon keep steady on the way up. We don't know if it's just his jaw or if he damaged his–

BOOOOOOOOOOOM

They all jumped at the sudden noise. Turning around, they stared on in shock as the entire tower was reduced to a smoldering mass of rubble.

"N-no…"

Despite their fear, they were all worried about two left in the tower. But more than that, they couldn't imagine how many people died in that one blast.

After what seemed like an eternity, the figure of a young boy limped towards them. In his left hand, he held a strange scaled scarf.

"Na-chan!"

Despite her earlier reservations, Millianna was the first to rush to the boy. Seeing him like this forced recent memories to the back of her mind.

"Haaah… hey there Millianna," he croaked out, almost collapsing against her. She threw his arm over her shoulder, "sorry, but I don't think Jellal is coming with us. On the bright side, somewhere on my way out I found… my…"

The boy lost his footing. Erza rushed over to help the younger girl carry him to the boat.

"Cut the ropes, we're leaving right now!" Erza tried to sound confident for the sake of her friends who were probably as terrified as she was.

"But," interjected a fidgety Sho, "what about Jellal?"

"He's not the Jellal we know! If he catches us, we'll never have the chance to leave this place again."

She picked up an abandoned weapon –likely sent flying out of the armoury by the explosion– and cut the rope herself. The boat was off.

They all slumped down from part exhaustion, part elation, and part disappointment. Natsu had already passed out, and Simon looked like he wasn't far from that point either.

Looking back at the island they semi-successfully escaped from, Erza saw the figure of someone once familiar to her staring back at her amongst the raging flames. They were quite far already, but she could still make out the haunting grin on his face. It wasn't an expression that belonged on the face of the boy she knew; the boy that she called family.

They got away, but what did they lose to get here?


	3. Boo! It's a demon(?)

(A/N) This chapter (along with the next one) are the last ones before the time-skip into canon. These first few chapters are to show why canon won't roll completely the same way once it kicks off.

Again, any feedback is greatly appreciated and goes a long way to help me improve the overall quality of the story.

Please enjoy!

xxxxxxx

"Sorry everyone, I can't join Fairy Tail just quite yet. Now that I'm free, I need to know what happened to my sister," spoke Simon, his voice muffled by a wire neck brace that came around to cover the lower half of his face.

They stared understandingly at the navy-haired boy, who chose to look at the ceiling above his hospital bed as opposed to any of them. They were still shaken from their escape, and freedom was something they were all coping with differently.

Sometime during the night of their departure, they had all fallen asleep. It was a miracle they didn't die. Luckily, they washed up on shore near some fishing town, and some morning beach-goers rushed them all to the hospital when they were found.

Sho and Wally, both covered in bandages, were struggling not to cry. Millianna was in a similar state, but chose to sit in Erza's lap instead of taking a chair for herself.

Said redhead had a small smile on her lips. You'd think she was fine if it weren't for the eyepatch.

Natsu, surprisingly, looked spotless. His injuries seemingly healed overnight on the boat ride. He didn't sit like the others, choosing instead to lean against the wall right next to the bed.

"Same."

They all turned to look at Natsu, wide-eyed. They could understand Simon's reasoning, but never in a million years did they ever think that Natsu would choose not to go with them. Did what happened with Jellal shake him that badly?

That could very well be it. After all, the two promised each other that they'd have a lot of adventures seeing the world and taking down "big, scary monsters."

"There are parts of my magic that I don't understand," he tried to explain, "and I couldn't control it. Because of that, I… actually killed someone– no, a lot of people. It scares me, the same as it scared all of you."

They couldn't meet his eyes because they knew exactly what he was talking about, except for Erza since her thoughts weren't lucid at the time. More importantly though, no matter how much they loved Natsu, they couldn't deny that they were very much afraid when he killed the dark mage that captured them.

"Hey now, I'm sure no one holds that against you," tried to reason the eyepatch-wearing girl, "You were afraid just like everyone else, and you have been out of practice with your magic for close to a year!"

None of the others backed her up.

"Everyone?" she turned to them inquisitively, but they avoided her gaze. She got frustrated, "Hey–

"No, Erza. It's fine. If you were _there_ you would understand," imposed Natsu, looking down at his trembling hands, "I still have the shakes just thinking about it. My magic has always been good at burning things, but I _obliterated _that tower, and probably every person in it too. I didn't want that at all! I…" he lowered his hands, taking a deep breath, "I'm not saying I won't join, because I'm _for sure _joining Fairy Tail. I just need to… get everything under control first. That's all."

A heavy silence fell over them. This isn't what any of them had in mind when they daydreamed about being free from that hell.

Millianna jumped up from her spot on Erza's lap. Despite the discomfort it caused her, she hobbled over to the dragon slayer and caught him by surprise with a big hug.

"Na-chan… I'm sorry! Even now, I'm still so scared… but I don't believe what… _he _said about you, either! There's no way that Na-chan is a demon, cuz Na-chan is my hero!"

Natsu's wide eyes grew watery. "Millianna…"

"We promise we'll have a big welcome party for you when you get to Fairy Tail, so come back soon, m'kay? We love you, Na-chan!"

He grabbed onto the girl like a lifeline, trying and failing to keep the tears from falling down his face. The rest of his family smiled and gathered around him for a group hug. Simon, while he couldn't move just yet, grabbed Natsu by the arm as a sign of support.

"You guys… I love you all too."

xxxxxxx

It had been three months since Natsu left to "understand himself"; or rather, understand what an Etherious is. Having left Hargeon port roughly three hours ago, he had been walking down a dirt path through the forest with his destination nowhere in immediate sight.

"I'm gonna be so pissed if I don't find a demon," the boy grumbled to himself.

His decision to go out in the middle of nowhere hadn't been a simple whim. While he was passing through Hargeon town, he overheard a couple of merchants speak.

_"I don't usually send my shipments through Hargeon, but apparently there are some issues further east."_

_"Is that so?"_

_"Yes, quite. I heard a demon has been terrorizing villages, some that just so happen to be on my ground route. The port town is more commercial and costs a little more to send goods as a result, but I didn't want to take the risk this time."_

_"Don't worry, I'm sure they'll get the Rune Knights to deal with it. Or even a mage, maybe?"_

_"Probably, though I do feel sorry for the poor saps."_

He'd left in a hurry soon after. From what little he _did _understand, demons weren't common at all. He needed to find see it before he lost his chance.

A big wooden sign finally came into sight after ages of nothing but green and dirt.

_Azalea town: 2.5km_

"Finally!" Natsu shouted. He picked up his pace to get there as soon as possible.

As he got over the hill, he could see houses down below. The sunset cast a beautiful orange light that seemed to make the church in the center block glow in an ethereal way.

It would have been breathtaking if Natsu cared enough to pay attention to that.

CRASH

The church's stained glass windows exploded outwards. Even from a distance, Natsu could make out the sound of panicked cries, if ever faintly.

His jog turned into a sprint as he rushed right past the gates, going straight to the source of the commotion. He noted absentmindedly that everyone else was going in the opposite direction.

Pushing open the large wooden doors of the building of worship, they damn near slammed shut in his face again as a pew crashed against them.

Running amuck in the church was an odd creature that could be described as impish if it weren't for its impressive stature. It had wrinkly purple flesh and purple, bulbous protrusions all over its body. It had a shallow cut going across its abdomen.

**"Grihihihihi!" **it laughed, **"You're very good at not dying, little girl!"**

Leaning against the far wall was a young girl with pure white hair. She was breathing heavily, what were the tattered remains of clergy robes clung loosely to her body. She was holding an ornamental pike so firmly in her hands that the knuckles turned white.

The demon charged directly towards her, making her widen her eyes.

Luckily for the girl, the imp-like creature stumbled over the remains of the upturned pulpit, leaving itself unprotected as it tried not to fall to the ground. She capitalized on the mistake fairly well and plunged the subpar weapon straight through its chest.

It screeched, its mouth opening disturbingly wide. It pushed itself back erratically, trying to get away from the victim-turned-hunter. It collapsed right at Natsu's feet.

**"You…" **it said under its breath, both the demon and the girl noticing the pink-haired boy's presence at the same time, **"You smell like– the creator would– one of us…"**

Panicking and being close to death, what it was saying was nonsensical.

Ignoring the thing at his feet, Natsu addressed the girl, "Hey, you. Are you okay?"

She didn't answer. Sighing in relief, she instead slid down to the ground and leaned her head back.

The imp demon glowed oddly as particles of light flecked off of its body. **"I don't understand… You're the same, but you act like the sheep! Different– danger– I cannot– you won't live! The book must know…"**

Its beady black eyes widened by twice their normal size. **"You must both die! THE BOOK WILL COME!"**

It disappeared.

Natsu walked up to the demon's frightened little killer. "That was pretty cool what you did, so I guess I'm not too mad that I didn't get any clues outta the ugly bastard. Y'er doing okay there?"

"W-who are–?"

She screamed in pain as the motes of light that emanated from the now-dead terror were drawn to the area around her arm. Before both of their eyes, the limb transformed into an exact replica of the demon's.

"Freaky," chimed Natsu lamely.

"WHAT THE HELL–"

Before the clergy girl could have too much of a panic attack, a strong gale whipped about in the middle of the church hall. Anything and everything was sent flying in every direction. Natsu knocked away stray blocks of the debris before it could injure either of them.

Where the corpse of the imp once rested stood a monster that was perhaps even more terrifying. It had the same skin and bulbous protrusions as the last one, but that was where the resemblances ended.

It stood at an impressive three meters, and its evil, smiling visage was full of razor-sharp teeth. It had four eyes as opposed to a single pair, and had both a set of bat-like wings and the horns of a ram.

**"So my cute little gargoyle was killed. I must admit, I'm a little curious as to why it deemed it necessary to summon me for a reason as silly as dying… Though I _acknowledge _that I didn't expect it to be at the hands of a couple of… hmm?" **The new demon trailed off, looking contemplatively at Natsu. It smiled.

The previous smile was nothing but a grin, as vile as it was. _This _was the face of a true demon.

**"Strange… You have the face of a fleshman, the body of a fleshman, but you _aren't _a fleshman. I would love to hear what _you're _all about."**

The spitfire glared back. "Yeah, fuckface, that's what _I _wanna know."

The amused look fell from the giant's face. **"Ah, so you're either a pretender or a mistake. Either one is shameful for the greater beings, so I'd do well to kill you now. Be proud, lesser one, for _you_ have done well to engage me for a moment, no matter how brief."**

It flew at them at unexpected speeds. Anticipating the worst, the girl lifted her arms and looked away.

Igneel was a lot faster. The blood-red flame surrounding Natsu's fist connected with the greater demon's shoulder. Its unbalance sent it off course as it slammed harmlessly into the wall beside them.

Well, "harmless" may not have been entirely the correct word. The impact with the wall obliterated it, chunks of brick and dried mortar sailing into the surrounding buildings. Luckily no one was hurt since the town had already evacuated.

Natsu met the demon at the point of impact. The same flaming horns and wings from the tower returned, but were noticeably more defined.

**"So you aren't a _lesser one_. It is a shame that you cannot be allowed to draw breath longer than you already have, since you have thoroughly captured my interest," **mused the "book", **"I must inquire: how is it that your soul is so young, yet your vessel is so ancient?"**

"What does that even mean!?"

Natsu shot out a torrent of fire from his mouth. His opponent, however, didn't have much difficulty simply swatting the attack away.

**"How droll. You invoke so many questions, and yet you haven't a single answer. Very well then, I'll end the mistake of your existence." **The winged creature's arm glowed an off white, and the cobblestone path beneath them seemingly came to life, catching the flame user by surprise by ensnaring him with large, rocky makeshift arms.

"Jerk! Let me go!" Natsu squirmed, trying to break out of his bindings.

**"It's no use. Such young curses won't be enough to break those of an Etherious as old as I."**

"W-wait, what did you say? You said _Etherious _just now, didn't you? DIDN'T YOU!?" The boy's flames grew in size many times over, no doubt reacting to his troubled state. "Why do you control demons? What are we? _What am I?"_

**"HEEEEEEH?" **The Etherious grinned maliciously, **"You really are a one-man spectacle, you know? You say the most precious things! _What am I _you said! GRIHIHI! So at the very least, you know that you're an Etherious, but evidently nothing more than the name itself." **It released its magic, dropping the angry tween on the ground.

"GAH!" Natsu fell to all fours, gasping for air. He nearly suffocated.

**"You will die either way, so I'll grace you with the knowledge you seek, if only for my own amusement."**

The demon grabbed the still-recovering child by the scarf and pulled him in uncomfortably close to its madly contorted face, **"You had it right, you know, I really _am_ a demon."**

"Then why did you call yourself an–

**–I called myself an Etherious _because they are one and the same, fool._"**

Natsu didn't know whether he should stop struggling or struggle more. "N-no…" he countered pathetically.

**"Believe what you wish," **the Etherious' hands turned to a stone-colored grey, pulling back one of them to his side and aiming its fingers at Natsu's chest area, **"it won't matter to me. Though I must say that it's a shame: you're talented for a matchstick. I don't know your story, but if you had the mind of a proper demon, then you would have grown to be a great asset to _Tartaros_."**

It flung its hand forward, fully intending to drive it through the kid's ribcage. The action was stopped, however, as an object collided with the back of his arm.

It looked detachedly at the poor quality spear that caught itself in his forearm, once again dropping his target. It pulled out the ornamental weapon, noticing that was now covered in stone similar to how its own powers worked. The demon turned to where the weapon came from.

The white-haired girl, throwing arm still extended, gave the giant a glare that was half fierce, half terrified. She hoped for the best, but she never expected that the Gargoyle arm would be so strong.

"GET OUTTA THERE, DUMBASS!"

Natsu realized that he wasn't exactly home free, and proceeded to just that. In one leap, he landed right next to his savior.

"Thanks for the save, sis!"

"Wha– don't call me that! My name is Mirajane, not _sis_. Besides, I'm just a helping hand, not a member of the church."

Natsu looked at her incredulously. "Why would you fight this dude's mob at the church then? Are you dumb or something?"

"Watch it–!" they barely avoided getting sliced by a bunch of strangely sharp flying shingles.

**"I find it strange that your kind finds banter appropriate in moments like these."**

Not understanding how his "demon power" worked, Natsu decided to just follow his gut. He thought _I need to get in front of that guy as fast as possible_, and his body complied.

The flaming wings on his back sputtered like thrusters, the horns of fire on his head turned into backward-pointing streaks. He jumped at the demon, his takeoff being so powerful that it left a booming crater where he previously stood.

**'Fast!?'**

It only took an instant. Before even Natsu realized what was happening, his bloody flames left his fist and blasted the Etherious in the stomach.

**"GRRRGL!?**

The impact deformed –most likely crushed– whatever innards the demon had… If demons have innards at all. It was sent skidding back nearly a hundred meters, leveling houses and businesses alike as it involuntarily passed through them.

"Strong…?" whispered Mirajane incredulously.

If the duo hoped that was enough to put the terror down, they were sorely mistaken. **"Grihihihi… you have some bite, youngling, I'll definitely give you that."**

It was definitely battered, but not as much as something with a liquefied stomach should be.

It moved at speeds that surpassed even Natsu's. The two kids only lost track of it for a second, but it was enough time for it to appear behind the "younger Etherious", grab him by the skull and pitch him at the half-destroyed church.

Mirajane took the moment of distraction to retrieve the pike. It really wasn't an ideal weapon by any means, but it would have to do if either of them wanted to survive.

As the demon turned his attention to the girl, Natsu came bursting out of the rubble that was once a church with nary a scratch on him. He caught the demon in the back of the head with a vicious axe kick.

The three-meter being hit the ground, and Natsu did everything he could to keep him pinned there. His mind raced to figure out how to get the damn thing out for the count as his small body struggled to suppress the behemoth for more than an instant.

Natsu noticed that he was having a much easier time holding down the arm that was impaled by Mirajane. _'Is it the weapon she used? Does it have some strange church power thingy?'_

Unless…

He looked to the girl's arm. It turned into the same arm as the demon's minion earlier, so maybe it was useful somehow?

It was worth a shot.

"Mirajane, I won't be able to hold him down much longer!"

She seemed to understand what he was implying. Once again with impeccable accuracy, she threw the weapon at the downed monster.

**"You're a million years too young for that, girl!"**

The Etherious shoved Natsu off at the last second. Using the uninjured arm to catch the pike mere centimeters from the middle of its forehead.

It didn't expect the white-haired girl to chase her throw and grab the other end of the pole.

"Die!" she shouted, using the strength granted to her by the gargoyle to push the pike forward. While it seemed to be a stalemate for a moment, things quickly changed as the demon did something that it had yet to do the whole time it was present.

It snarled.

The panic in Mirajane's eyes was evident to Natsu as the polearm steadily inched away from its target. Natsu made a split-second decision to vault himself over their opponent's body, landing next to his partner in crime.

"Need a hand?"

"Stop wasting time and PUSH!"

**"GRAAAAAHHHHHHH!"**

Unfortunately, one arm wasn't enough to fight back against both the girl _and _the youngling. The demon's arm eventually gave out and the pike went right through the middle of its head.

There was no blood. Cracks started spreading outwards from the wound, while its skin turned to the same stone color as its power.

It fell to its knees, shoulders slumped. Having accepted its fate, however reluctantly, the smile found its way back to its face.

**"You've done well youngling. You as well, girl. While still being inferior to the _great_ _me_, I can now see how my gargoyle had been slain."**

It looked Natsu straight in the eyes. The three beady black orbs unnerved him somewhat. **"As the victor of this skirmish, the spoils go to you; you're a lost little one, so I will give you direction. To find the answers to your questions, _your true questions, _you will seek _Tartaros_."**

Natsu knew that he shouldn't take the words of a demon at face value, but recent revelations made him a little more unsure of himself. "I don't understand… What's Tartaros?"

The grin on the demon's face didn't budge.

**"Best of luck to you, young Etherious."**

Its whole body turned to stone, then crumbled away in the wind.

Or rather, that's what it seemed to do at first. In reality, the dusty remains gathered around Mirajane.

"Again? Seriously!?" The girl hadn't the time to think too much about her arm's transformation earlier, but now that everything had calmed down a bit, panic was able to settle in. Was she being possessed? The logical part of her brain told her no, but the insecure part of her wasn't so sure.

The arm changed, the differences more evident internally than externally. Cosmetically, the arm was a bit less jagged, and the purple orbs were a bit less prominent. To Mirajane, however, it couldn't feel more different.

Before, it gave her a little power boost. Now, it felt like the arm _was _power. This was the difference between a real demon and a mere pawn.

Natsu ruffled his hair in frustration. "Ah, damnit! Now I just have more questions."

He removed his hands from his scalp to drop them on the panicky girl's shoulder. "Anyway, that's a pretty cool magic you got there! How's it work?"

Mirajane frowned. "I… don't know what this is. It's never happened to me before. And not that I mind your help, but who _are _you?"

Natsu blinked twice, processing the question. It took him a moment to remember that he kind of barged in and imposed himself on the town's situation. Did he even introduce himself?

"Ah, sorry. My name is Natsu. I was around 'cuz I heard that there were demons nearby, and it was just luck that I was here at the same time this whole…_thing _went down."

"That's some luck, then." Mirajane walked right past Natsu and headed towards where the other townspeople ran off to. "Look, I don't want to be rude, but I gotta go."

"Ehhhhhh?" Natsu whipped his head back to look at the suddenly-grumpy lass, "Hold on, I have so many questions! Why was that demon-gargoyle thingy here? Why were you fighting it alone? _How _were you fighting it alone without magic? How long was–

"Give it a rest, will you?" she snarled back and made him shrink in on himself, "I need to find my siblings to make sure they're okay, then I need to fix my arm. Help me out, and I guess I can answer some of your questions."

The firecracker's exuberance came right back. He paced himself to catch up to the girl. "I'll give you a hand then! If your siblings ran in the same direction as everyone else, I know where to look first– oh!" he slapped his fist, "I know who could probably help you with your arm too!"

That caught her attention. "Really?"

"Yeah! My friends and I were supposed to meet up at this wizard guild called Fairy Tail! They're really super-duper awesome, so they'll for sure know what's up!"

"Well that's convenient," she mumbled to herself, "Where can I find it?"

"…"

"…"

"Well–

"You don't know, do you?"

"Nope."

Mirajane sighed. "I can't believe you called _me _dumb."

Natsu pouted. Trying to change the subject, he asked, "So why _did _you end up fighting that demon-thing alone?"

"I couldn't let my little bro and sis get hurt," she answered easily, "they came to the church to see me –I help out there every once and a while for cash, you see– but when they came, that _thing _just came flying in through the top window from outta nowhere. Everyone was panicking, so I had the clergymen take my siblings and get away while I held it back."

"You did a pretty good job of that," Natsu shared his input, "Not many people without magic can kill a monster on their own."

"Well, yeah," she admitted awkwardly, absentmindedly noting that they found the villagers all gathered up at the front gates of the town, "After our parents died, it was up to me to look after my little siblings. I know I can protect myself, even if it's just a little."

She felt uncomfortable when she noticed the tears streaming down Natsu's face.

"That's so saaaaaaaab!" he cried, "Sis, you're so amabing!"

"Didn't I tell you not to call me–

"Onee-chan!"

"Nee-san!"

Two other young white-haired kids barrelled into her.

"Lisanna, Elfman, I'm so glad you're safe." The tender expression on the elder sister's face and her previous attitude was night and day.

"We thought you were gonna die!" sobbed the younger girl with a bob cut. She reminded Natsu of Millianna.

Mirajane did her best to assuage her little sister's bad mood. "Don't worry, don't worry. The big bad demon wasn't so tough! Natsu here helped me, so I'm fine, I promise!"

The two seemed to notice the scarf-wearing boy for the first time. "Thank you for helping my sister!" The large-yet-fidgety boy lowered himself into a deep bow.

"But who are you?" asked bob-cut girl, "I don't think I've seen you here before."

"Oh, that's because I'm not from here," he thought of how he should explain it, "I was… passing through, so I thought that I should lend a hand."

It was only then that either of the siblings noticed the arm. "Nee-san! What happened to your arm!?"

Elfman's shout caught the attention of the people gathered around them. They were still afraid, and most of them had no idea what was going on. Mirajane frowned at the murmurs that started to spread amongst the crowd.

"Okay, you two, let's go home now. It's safe." She purposely ignored her brother's question because she didn't really have any answers herself.

Lisanna pulled on her big sister's finger. "Onee-chan, Natsu-chan is coming too right? Didn't you say he helped you?"

The girl in the tattered black robes turned to the pink-haired boy blankly. She let out a small smile. "Yeah, sure I guess. If you want to come I won't stop you; I'll admit that you _maybe_ saved my butt back there. You hungry?"

Natsu's stomach growled, telling her all she needed to know.

"Oh boy! We don't have people over a lot," cheered Lisanna, "I'm sure you'll love onee-chan's cooking!"

Natsu licked his lips.

xxxxxxx

They were all seated around a small and short table, save for Mirajane. She placed their dishes in front of them, the demon arm being wrapped in some sort of bandage.

Natsu couldn't stop staring at the simple fish and rice dish. He'd never seen food that looked like that, even though it smelled ridiculously good.

"Is it edible?" he asked wearily.

"Oi." The chef grabbed his scalp in a vice grip and gave him a death-glare that made him quake in fear. Natsu wasn't someone that was frightened very easily, but he seemed to be 'weak' to the girl, somehow.

"I-I mean," he scrambled for an explanation, "I've only ever had burning meat and some weird liquid soup stuff, so I don't…" he trailed off.

Mirajane relented and loosened her grip. "Burning...?"

"Yeah! I lived out in the forest until about a year back. My dad's a dragon, so we'd eat flaming bear most nights."

"…" Mirajane forgot how to use her voice.

The younger siblings just started eating, not really understanding what the big deal was.

The elder sister sighed, choosing to pull out her chair and crumple into it instead of arguing. "You know… It bugs me how much I _don't _think you're lying right now."

"Why would I lie?" Natsu sounded fed up. Why is it so hard to believe that his dad's a dragon?

She didn't dignify that with a response. "Eat. Tell me what you think."

"So it's–

**"It's edible, jackass."**

Natsu's self-preservation instincts kicked in and he stuffed a bite of Salmon into his mouth. He chewed and swallowed and–

"Ah."

Mirajane was worried about the lackluster response. Lisanna and Elfman looked up from their dishes because they weren't expecting that response.

Natsu's eyes were glazed over. "I get it now. You're an angel."

The chef's cheeks flushed in an instant. "WHA!?"

In the time it took for the poor girl to compose herself, Natsu's meal had already been inhaled.

Tears.

There were actual _tears _running down the kid's face. Mirajane didn't exactly know him, but she was under the impression that he wasn't much of a crier.

"I… didn't know. _I didn't know food could taste as good as flames_."

She ignored the flame part. "I'm… glad you like it. It wasn't much, so stop embarrassing yourself."

He remembered something Rob told him he should do if ever someone does him a favour. He got up from his seat and prostrated himself before her. "Thank you kindly for the food."

Mirajane looked like a white-haired tomato, and her brother and sister laughed quietly at her expression.

xxxxxxx

Mirajane was just about ready to either kick the matchstick out of her house for the mortification he caused her, but Lisanna and Elfman managed to talk her down into letting him stay the night.

The little shack of a house barely had room for one person, let alone four. They only had one futon, but since Natsu was a guest, Lisanna basically insisted they give it to him. For whatever reason though, he much preferred to sleep on the ground.

The next morning, Mirajane had Natsu help her with the groceries. They walked through the village market that, despite the commotion yesterday, still seemed quite lively in the early morning hours.

Mirajane pretended not to notice the weary looks directed at her wrapped arm.

"So Mira," Natsu tried to start a conversation. Mirajane's eye twitched at the nickname –she wasn't sure if she felt comfortable enough with the boy for that yet– but acknowledged him with a tilt of her head anyway, "When do you plan on sorting out the problem with your arm? People staring at us is pretty annoying isn't it?"

The girl sweatdropped. He's a pretty straightforward person, huh?

"I'll get around to it when I can, but I can't make my siblings move around like that. Not anymore. I _finally _managed to get us a place to stay, and _I'm sure as hell _not leaving them on their own."

Natsu pulled his scarf up a bit to hide the frown on his face. "If you're really not sure what's wrong, then you need to get help. Demons are dangerous that way."

She had them pull up to a street vendor, deciding on her own that the conversation was finished. "Hey old man," she spoke up to the elderly farmer running the stall, "how much for four eggs?"

His brow started to sweat as he avoided any eye contact with her. When she caught on, she didn't vocalize her dissatisfaction, settling for narrowing her eyes in annoyance.

"Sorry, no more eggs today."

Natsu looked back and forth between the two dumbly. He pointed at the eggs packaged by the dozen in front of them. "Huh? Aren't these eggs? Are they no good or something?"

Natsu began to suspect that temper was something that wasn't available to his companion in large quantities. She grabbed the farmer by his overalls and pulled his face inches away from hers.

She looked him in the eyes, almost relishing the panic she saw in them, "Look, buddy, I have two siblings and a dumbass to feed, so–

She recoiled as a small rock hit her in the side of her head. She was forced to let go of the terrified man so that she could wipe away the red liquid dripping down her brow.

It was blood.

"HEY!" shouted Natsu angrily, "WHO THREW THAT?"

A bunch of the sellers and passersby gathered into a mob around them.

"She's assaulting that poor man; she must be possessed!"

"G-get out of here, demon!"

"Leave us alone!"

"Don't think you can hide behind those bandages!"

"My wife and daughter almost died because of you!"

Mirajane's jaw swung open and closed uselessly. She trembled and looked away.

"What the fu…" Natsu trailed off when he felt the bandaged girl grab his arm and pull him into a run.

They ran until they were out of sight from anyone, slowing down to a brisk walk down some alley. Natsu could tell the one dragging him was still bothered because of the vice grip on his wrist.

"…Mira? You okay?"

"…"

"You don't actually believe any of that nonsense, do you?

"…We're leaving. I'm grabbing my siblings and we're getting out of here" if possible, her grip got even tighter.

For now, Natsu pretended she didn't avoid answering him.

xxxxxxx

To their credit, Elfman and Lisanna didn't complain at all when their sister told them that they would be leaving town without any kind of heads up. They packed their belongings (as meager as they were) and were out of the now-abandoned shack of a house in less than fifteen minutes.

Even so, it was painfully obvious that Mira felt guilty about forcing the outcome on them because she wouldn't. Stop. Talking.

"Don't worry you two," they weren't, "that place was just a middle ground for us, it wasn't supposed to be for us to settle down in or anything!" It totally was. "I know you're scared," not really, "but–

"Would you _quit it _already!?" Natsu had enough. "Look at them! They're just nodding along like a pair of braindead zombies now because you've been trying to feel better about yourself for the past _four days!_"

"What did you say, dick-sack? Wanna die?" Mira's face darkened.

Natsu started to sweat bullets.

"Elf-nii-chan, Mira-nee's doing the scary thing again," whispered Lisanna to Elfman.

"I, uh…" the dragon slayer looked for an excuse, "was just saying that I see a town ahead! Yeah, that's it!"

It was completely coincidental, but they had, in fact, stumbled across a town.

"_Clover town_, is it?" said Mira, reading off the sign they just passed. Luckily for Natsu, it seemed that she was also willing to pretend he didn't say something stupid."

As they got closer, the eldest sibling buttoned up her cloak. She took to wearing it over her clothes to avoid circumstances similar to the one in Azalea.

"So, this town should be okay, right? To ask about Fairy Tail?" asked Elfman, as timid as always.

That had been the plan, after all. Find a town, get directions to the wizard guild, and get help for Mirajane.

"Yeah," agreed the now-hooded twelve-year-old, "but don't be discouraged if we don't get anything right away. We don't know how popular the guild really is, since this pink doofus is the only person I've heard talk about it–

"Hey!"

–so don't expect some random person to be shouting–

"Fairy Tail has successfully completed the mission. Can you pay us now, man?"

The four whipped their heads towards the sound of the voice. It was, oddly enough, a naked kid around their age talking to some fancily dressed man in front of a hotel. Said man was noticeably uncomfortable with the youth's state of dress.

"Erm, yes, thank you," said the man awkwardly, handing over a stack of coins, "we appreciate your help with tonight's gala, but… could you please put some clothes on?"

The nude boy's eyes bulged out of his head. "WHEN DID THIS EVEN HAPPEN!?"

He noticed the traveling group approaching him. He eyed Natsu suspiciously. "Hey, you. Did you steal my clothes?"

Natsu had a funny feeling he wouldn't like this kid.

xxxxxxx

The siblings, Natsu and the Fairy Tail boy sat in the hotel lobby. To protect his modesty, the staff offered the naked mage a spare bellboy uniform.

He was currently taking off the bellboy uniform.

"Hey, uh…" trailed off Lisanna awkwardly, "why are you taking your clothes off?"

That caused him to pause, notice that he was stripping, and zipped the fly to his pants back up.

"So, you four are trying to get to Fairy Tail, right?" he asked.

It was impressive how he pretended that didn't just happen.

"Yeah," it was Natsu that answered for them this time, "I'm meeting up with some friends of mine, and we were hoping that someone could help my friend here with her magic," he said, pointing his thumb to the cloaked figure beside him.

"Well, I suppose there's no problem with that," replied the stripper, scratching the side of his head, "I'm waiting on my partner to finish up his part of the mission, then we're taking the train southbound to Magnolia. You're free to join us."

Lisanna and Elfman high-fived each other with wide smiles splitting their cheeks, and Mirajane elbowed Natsu good-naturedly. "Guess you aren't all that useless, even if you _are _a dummy."

After the jab, Natsu's expression was somewhere between proud and pouty.

A voice that was strangely familiar to Natsu spoke from near the elevator, "Gray, I've unpacked all the furniture, so we're good to go. If we catch the train coming in fifteen minutes we should be able to make it back to the guild before it gets dark out."

It was a boy with tanned skin and golden blonde hair. Despite being fairly young (about Lisanna's age), he was dressed smartly, wearing a white button-up shirt, brown shoes, and slacks of the same color.

It didn't even take an instant for Natsu to recognize him. "Sho! Sho is that you? How are you?"

He ran up to the younger boy and ruffled his hair with a laugh. Sho laughed in turn, but it was a bit more subdued.

"I'm not bad Nii-chan, I'm surprised to see you here. You're coming to the guild, right? It's everything Rob-ji said it'd be."

The older one nodded almost comically. "I can't wait to see everyone! How are they?"

"Everyone is fine, nii-chan," Sho reached up to pat his older "brother's" shoulder, "Millianna and Erza will be thrilled to see you again. Unfortunately, Wally decided that he'd follow Simon's example and left to go find his brother."

Natsu was sad to hear that Wally left, but he was still happy to hear the younger boy was doing what he wanted to do. At least now, they were free to make their own choices. "Is he gonna be okay on his own?"

It was Gray that answered him. "He's fine. He told the Master where he was headed, so the Master was able to contact the guilds in the area; he even hired their mages to help the kid out, I think."

"That's good to hear!" Natsu really did mean that, despite wishing that the younger boy would have been around when he got to the guild.

Moving the conversation along, Gray addressed Mirajane, "If you don't mind me asking, what's the problem with your magic?"

Mira looked decidedly uncomfortable with the question. "Uh…"

"Well, we were fighting a demon and it kinda-sort-of possessed her arm. I'm sure it's no biggy though," chipped in Natsu.

All three siblings stared at the pink-haired boy with varying degrees of shock.

"Natsu-san… I don't know if you should have…" mumbled Lisanna.

"Hey, jackass," intoned Mira, "What are you up to, telling people like that?" Her voice was stone cold.

Both Gray and Sho seemed to be just as uncomfortable as the siblings.

Natsu still didn't know what the problem was. "What do you mean?"

To everyone's shock, Mira was out of her seat in an instant and grabbed Natsu by the neck. Not thinking properly, she used her demonically possessed arm.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU_ THINK _I MEAN!?" she squeezed harder, making the pink-haired boy wince. Lisanna and Elfman gaped in horror, while Sho and Gray looked ready to interfere. "Don't you understand how much this arm is _hurting _my family? Is all of this some sick joke of yours? Are you trying to shame us publicly because you know that I'm a de–"

Natsu's fist blasted into the side of her head faster than anyone could even blink. He didn't use any magic, but his physical strength alone was enough to send her tumbling to the other side of the lobby.

Panicked yelps from the hotel's patrons resonated as the white-haired girl shot past them. Elfman tried to grab Natsu, feeling some sort of familial retribution was in order, but was held back by the two Fairy Tail kids.

Natsu stomped over to where the eldest sibling was still lying on her side, rubbing her sore cheek. He glared down at her, and shouted, "Don't you _ever _say that you're a demon! Got that?"

"Na…tsu…" Mirajane was still a little shaken.

She let out a surprised grunt when he took her arm and pulled her to her feet. "We need to figure out what's wrong with your arm, so quit pissing and moaning and let's get to Fairy Tail!"

Her eyes, still wide, blinked before allowing themselves to relax. "You're right…"

He grinned at her and turned to face the four they left behind at the table they were occupying. "We can go now, right?"

None of them could answer him properly, still trying to process the outlandish series of events that just took place in front of them.

Gray whispered to Sho, "Man, that guy… He's actually pretty crazy, isn't he?"

Sho didn't answer.

Since no one was answering him, Natsu took the silence as a "yes". He grabbed the girl in front of him by the arm and pulled her towards the hotel's entrance. "Let's go, then."

Everyone allowed themselves to follow Natsu out of the front door. On Mira's part, she was starting to feel that she was understanding the pinkette a little better now; he was brash, straight to the point, and could get on people's nerves more easily than he could breathe.

But he was the dependable sort, too.

"Hey, Natsu."

He tilted his head back towards her. "Yeah?"

"I'm sorry… and thanks, I guess."

He gave her a big smile.

xxxxxxx

"So… you're 'Natsu', I suppose."

The short elderly guy with the funny hat had met them at the guild's door the moment they had arrived. He stroked his mustache as he looked up curiously at the young dragon slayer and the three white-haired siblings.

"Who are you, old man?" how did he know his name?

"Hey!" barked Gray. "Show some respect, flame-brain! That's the guild's Master you're talking to."

The Master laughed off the comment. "I suppose I _am _an old man, there's no denying that now. I've heard much about you from my children, boy."

Natsu tilted his head. "Children?"

"Yes," a proud smile crossed the old man's lips, "every member of this guild is my child. Fairy Tail is a family after all."

"So by children you mean–"

"Your friends, yes. Erza, Millianna, and Wally speak quite fondly of you when you're brought up."

The corner of Natsu's lips were drawn upwards as a pleasant expression crossed his face. It was nice to hear that they thought of him, every once in a while. "Where are they, by the way? I heard that Wally left, but what about Millianna and Erza?"

"Well, if I'm not mistaken, they'll be back around this time next week. They left on a mission together. Nothing too hard, really, but it was unusually far…" he trailed off.

"Uhm…" Mirajane decided to announce her presence, albeit awkwardly.

The Master took notice. "Ah, yes. Who might you three be?"

Mira gave the man a respectful nod. "My name is Mirajane Strauss. These two," –she motioned to her siblings– "are my little sister Lisanna and my little brother Elfman. You see, I'm here because, ah…"

She was having a little trouble explaining herself. She had made it this far, so she didn't want to mess it up by giving the man the wrong impression.

Natsu took it upon himself to help her out. " Mira's been having issues with…" –he thought back to how she reacted the _last _time he said too much and thought better of it– "her _magic_, and since you're a super awesome wizard-guy, we thought that you could help her."

The short man closed his eyes and hummed. "I can see what I can do, but I'll need to know what the issue is first. Come with me upstairs; we can talk more in my office." The man probably noticed that the subject was touchy enough for the girl to not want to talk about it in public.

Mira placed her hands on top of her siblings' heads. "Natsu, can you look after them for a second? I'm going to talk with the Guild Master."

The fire mage nodded, though a little reluctantly. "Let me know how it goes, then."

She smiled gratefully.

Once seated in the fairly comfortable chair facing the Master's desk, she explained to the man everything she could remember concerning the series of events that lead to her arm being possessed by the demon. Hesitating for only a moment, she lifted the cloak she wore and showed the elderly man the affected limb.

He stared at it for a moment, then spoke slowly, "I'll tell you right away, finding a 'cure' would be unlikely–"

"What!?"

"–But thankfully you won't be needing one."

The girl's panic turned into confusion. "…What?"

"You aren't cursed or possessed," he elaborated. He seemed to know exactly what her fears were. "In fact, it would be more accurate to say that _you're_ the one that possessed the _demon_. While it's quite rare, this state of yours is caused by poor control over a magic called **Takeover: Demon Soul**. Your arm should go back to normal on its own, once your body acclimates itself to the magic."

"B-but… how? I haven't learned any magic!"

"Not all magic is learned, my girl. In fact, young Natsu's friend, Erza, discovered her magic in a similar fashion. Our world truly works in strange ways."

"…"

The Master could tell something was still bothering the girl. "What's wrong, child?"

"At the end of the day… call it what you want, but there's a demon inside of me, right?"

Silence reigned for little more than an instant.

"…Young Mira. The demon _is _dead. Remember that. As long as you put in the effort to control it, this is _your _magic, not the demon's."

She nodded again, but the Master had a funny feeling it was just to get him off her back.

xxxxxxx

Mira and the Master came back down to the main level, seeing the odd sight of Natsu being held back from pummeling Gray by a white-haired girl many years his junior.

"You're so weak that you can't get past a little girl, matchstick? Ha! What a joke," mocked Gray.

"Shove it, Icicle dick!" retorted Natsu

"Both of you, _stop it!_" pleaded Lisanna.

Mirajane tapped Elfman on the shoulder. "Say… what's going on here?"

"Like I said, moron," sneered Gray in a condescending tone, "I don't wanna hear nothin' from some delusional kid who thinks they've been raised by a dragon."

Ah. _That's_ what happened.

Before things could escalate further, a tall, orange-haired man came up and smacked the two trouble makers upside the head… and effectively launched them _through _the stone walls of the guild.

"Kids shouldn't make such a commotion. Maybe when you're older," said the man evenly, acting as if he didn't just knock the shit out of them.

_They can't hear you! And age has nothing to do with it! _Was left unsaid by everyone else.

"So you're back, Gildarts," said the Master from behind Mira, as if the last ten seconds didn't just happen.

"Master Makarov," he acknowledged, "the mission was a success. A little easier than I thought it would be, all things considered."

Makarov Dreyar, third Guild Master of Fairy Tail, beamed with pride knowing that he had one of the strongest mages in the continent representing their family.

He looked at his destroyed wall and pouted. If only the man weren't so… _damage-prone_.

…Hoh?

The pink-haired boy, Natsu, came crawling out of the wreckage with a pissed off expression on his face. It's quite formidable for a kid his age to take a strike from Gildarts and not be out like a light.

"Hey, old man!" shouted the dragon slayer. Gildarts looked to the Master and pointed to himself as if to say, '_who, me?'_

"Yeah, you!" the boy's hands lit up in a magical fire that _didn't quite look right_. "You're pretty strong. Fight me!"

Wings and horns made of pure flame sprouted from the boy's body. Erza had told him that the boy was raised by a dragon; maybe they were dragon horns?

For such a runt, he was no slouch. A powerful kick of his legs was all it took to propel himself into Gildarts with the poundage of an elephant.

The orange-haired man went bug-eyed, but otherwise was able to hold Natsu's diminutive form at bay as he regained what little balance he lost. "Easy there, firecracker. Maybe later. You just joined the guild, didn't you? Why don't you take a step back and have a dr– erm, how old are you again?"

"I dunno, twelve maybe?"

Gildarts glanced at the Master questioningly. Said Master sighed in response. "No, Gildarts, you can't share a pint with a maybe-twelve-year-old."

It should have alarmed him that he needed to tell the man that. It really should have.

Natsu pouted. Not only was he not getting his fight, the Guild Master said he couldn't have the strong man's "pint" thing. It probably tasted good too.

The pinkette relented, however, once he remembered something he wanted to ask the older man. "Oh yeah, gramps." –Gray shouted something about showing some respect, which was ignored by everyone– "My magic's been kind of weird for a few months now, too. Could ya help me fix it?"

"Sure, my boy. What's the issue?"

"Well…" Natsu thought about how to explain it best. "You know how I was with the others in…" He was about to mention the Tower of Heaven, but thought better of it. Judging by what happened with Mira when he talked about stuff that was 'emotionally involved' for her, he didn't want to risk the same thing happening with Erza and the others. "…that one place, right?"

The Master nodded.

He continued. "Well, one of the guys there locked up my magic. It went away eventually, but I think it screwed something up."

"Hmmm… Natsu, could you show me your back for a moment?"

"Like this?" the boy lifted his top and presented his naked back to the man.

The short man didn't answer back. Instead, he uttered some gibberish words and placed his hands in front of him.

Natsu's back glowed, then the light shattered.

"…There you go. Try using your magic now."

Being given the green light, Natsu did just that. Surprisingly, it took a moment for him to remember what using magic was _supposed _to feel like. _Was his magic thrown off that much?_

"Ah!" the boy exclaimed as a familiar magic circle appeared below the flames he conjured in his palm. "Thanks, old man!"

Said old man jumped onto the bar to pat him on the head. "No problem." Natsu absentmindedly swatted the appendage away.

Unseen by the Dragon Slayer, Gildarts shared a look with Makarov.

"Macao," called out the Master. A blue-haired man stepped out from the crowd. "These kids must be tired, so go help them get set up in the barracks downstairs. We'll be sure to help them get settled properly in the morning."

"You got it. C'mere, shrimps," said Macao. The man took the four new faces to the sleeping quarters with only minor protests from the older two.

Once they were out of sight, the rest of the guild was quick to realize that the entertainment had called it in for the night and so they resumed their previous activities.

The only two left at the bar were Makarov and Gildarts.

"Hey, master." The uncharacteristic tightness in Gildarts' face held true. "The kid said the magic blocker wore off, didn't he?"

"Indeed."

"But what you just _removed _was a magic blocker, wasn't it?"

Makarov closed his eyes. A closed-mouth sigh let air escape through his nose.

Again, he repeated, "…Indeed."

xxxxxxx

Macao brought the kids to an old and plain-looking room with two decently sized beds hugging the walls. After telling them to make themselves at home, and letting them know that the master would help them find better accommodations in the morning, the man left them to their own devices.

Mira sat next to Lisanna on one of the beds, who immediately placed her head on her big sister's lap. "Was the master able to help you?" asked the younger girl.

"Yeah!" shouted Natsu exuberantly. "What did he say?"

Mirajane absentmindedly ran her fingers through her sister's short hair. "He said it won't be a problem. As long as I can train to get it under control, I should be fine."

She could see that the man was likely telling the truth, too. While the arm under her cloak didn't _look_ any different, the malignant aura that she could feel from it was slowly being replaced by hers. It wasn't much of a stretch to assume it would go back to normal in a few days, once it fully merged with the rest of her.

Admittedly, the thought of that ugly thing becoming a part of her was unpleasant.

Elfman, who sat on the other bed with Natsu, clapped his hands together. "That's great news!"

"Mhm." Though her reaction was much more subdued, she gave him a small smile and a nod.

"Hey, you'll all join Fairy Tail now, right?" –Three white-topped heads turned to Natsu – "I mean, you don't have anywhere to go. We're already friends, so if we're guildmates, we can go on lots of adventures together!"

"That sounds great!" Elfman's smile threatened to split his face.

Lisanna pushed her head up from her sister's lap. "Yeah! Onee-chan, we'll stay, won't we?"

Mirajane's eyes widened but for a moment, the question catching her off guard. Though almost as soon as the surprise came, it was replaced with a warm smile. She brushed a strand of hair behind Lisanna's ear. "Of course."

xxxxxxx

Morning came, and the siblings-plus-one were well-rested. Natsu stretched his arms with a yawn, accidentally knocking Elfman out of the bed.

"Hey!"

The boy's cry was ignored. Through bleary eyes, Natsu could see that the bed next to theirs was still. Mira and Lisanna were probably still asleep.

Footsteps could be heard descending the staircase. Greeting them with a wave and a goofy smile was Makarov Dreyar, the Guild Master. "Did you four sleep well?"

Still rubbing his backside, it was Elfman who answered. "Y-yes. Thank you for the room, Master Makarov."

Natsu butted in, excited. "Hey, old man! We'll all be joining the guild, that fine with you?"

The man's smile grew even warmer. "Of course. I'll get the stamps, so you just let me know where–"

"Onee-chan?"

Lisanna woke up, and to the shared confusion of everyone in the room, there was no one sleeping next to her.

xxxxxxx

"I don't get it…" tears lined Elfman's eyes. "Why would nee-san leave us like that?"

Lisanna stayed quiet, though the occasional sniffle escaped her lips as Makarov rubbed her back comfortingly.

Upon discovering the disappearance of the eldest sibling, they all made their way upstairs to the common room. It was still early in the morning, so the only one present was the Master.

"Now, now. I don't doubt for a second that your sister thinks the world of you both. I'm certain that she has a perfectly good explanation for doing what she did." Despite Makarov's best efforts to calm the two remaining siblings, he couldn't drop the frown from his face.

Strangely, Natsu remained quiet.

Makarov sighed. "You three wait here. She wouldn't have gotten far, so I'll–"

He couldn't finish speaking as Natsu abruptly stomped out through the door. Before he left their line of sight, he spoke clearly, "I'll go get her."

He was gone before anyone could process what had just happened. Elfman let out a soft "Eh?" and Lisanna blinked through her tears.

Makarov's frown flipped into a thin smile.

xxxxxxx

Mira dragged her feet through the still-empty streets of Magnolia. Part of her acknowledged that she should be moving faster to avoid any kind of confrontation, but the thoughts plaguing her mind held her back.

She shook her head and steeled herself. Again. "I need to do this," she told herself. "This is for _them_. What if they get hurt because of me? I need to get my magic under control."

When she heard that her sibling wanted to join the guild, she immediately took the opportunity presented to her. This way, they would have people to look after them. They wouldn't be in danger anymore.

"_I _won't be putting them in danger anymore," she amended, rubbing her mutated arm forcefully. Once again, her feet felt like lead weights.

The city gates were in sight. Taking a deep breath, she resolved herself to–

"OOF!"

Two feet crashed into her back, sending her tumbling to the ground. The offender was laying on top of her, legs crossed.

She twisted her head as much as she could to yell at the person on top of her. "Hey, Jackass! The fuck are you–"

Her throat dried up upon seeing the expressionless face of Natsu.

"You're making Elfman and Lisanna sad, you know." He didn't say anything else. He didn't yell at her, criticize her, or anything. He didn't have to.

Mira grit her teeth and averted her gaze. Despite the discomfort it brought her, she pushed her forehead back into the ground beneath her. "I know, damnit."

"They'll start thinking you've abandoned them."

"I know."

"Why?"

"…"

She kept her head to the ground, not saying a thing. Her body went slack. Unseen to her captor, however, her hands were still wound tightly into fists.

The moment Natsu shifted his weight to get a better look at her face, she capitalized on his imbalance to flip their positions. He was slammed hard into the ground as she pinned him down.

"AS IF I WANT TO DO THIS, ASSHOLE!" she screamed right in his face. "I LOVE THEM MORE THAN ANYTHING IN THIS WORLD!"

Seeing as he didn't so much as flinch, her voice became more subdued. "I love them, so, so much, so that's why I can't be with them. I'm a–"

"If you say demon again, don't be surprised if I punch you for real this time."

The words died in her mouth. Though her confidence was quick to bounce back. "So what? Take-over, possessed, call it whatever you want! Can you honestly tell me that Elfman and Lisanna are safe while I…"

She trailed off as flaming horns wisped into existence on top of his head. As close as she was, she could see Natsu's eyes turning into crimson slits.

"Are they any safer with me around?"

She didn't have an answer to that. "Natsu…"

"Are they? You might have a demon arm, but I'm a _demon_. I might just go off and kill everyone in this town just because I feel like it."

"I don't… I don't think…" whatever it was she wanted to say, she didn't have the courage to say it.

Mirajane's arms lost their strength, so she leaned back off of him. She squeezed her eyes shut.

The Dragon Slayer gently pushed the girl off of him. Getting to his feet, he just stared at her.

She didn't, look up. "Natsu. I'm sorry."

He offered her a hand. "Let's go back and join Fairy Tail. All of us together."

She took his hand.


	4. Intermission! Erza and Mirajane

(A/N) Rather than a chapter, this is an intermission (sort of). It's short, sweet, and does little more than anchor current characters and events. From the next chapter on, we're done with the set-up chapters and the story will officially reach Hiro Mashima's first Fairy Tail arc.

Now that we're approaching the "meat" of things, if you will, the pacing will balance itself out sooner rather than later.

Please enjoy!

xxxxxxx

Erza blushed and stammered as she was enveloped in a near crushing hug by Natsu. "H-hey! Let go, you fool!"

This wasn't supposed to be how it happened. For months now, she'd been telling herself that once Natsu finally came to the guild, she would give him a piece of her mind for making her, Sho and Millianna wait so long. She could still see it play out in her mind's eye: he would be cowering, asking for forgiveness as he promised to stop being such a reckless simpleton.

Evidently, things didn't quite happen that way. The moment she and Millianna walked into the guildhall, the younger girl and Natsu went straight for a hug, babbling about how much they missed each other.

Admittedly, she was quite happy to see him. However, that wasn't permission for him to completely disregard all her plans and to greet her so casually.

He was sniveling like a baby as he rubbed his cheek to hers. "ERBAAAA! I MISSSSSSBUUUU!"

Her eye twitched uncontrollably. Having had enough of his antics, she socked him in the gut.

"GAK!" he fell to the ground, holding his stomach in pain. "Mean!" he accused.

The redhead huffed and looked away. "You took too long."

_I'm happy you're here._

"Hey, you!" called out an annoying voice from the peanut gallery. "Yeah, you! Resting-bitch-face girl!"

The twitching of Erza's eye came back with a vengeance as she glared at the white-haired girl that called her out. "What?"

"You can't hit him like that."

Natsu looked surprised by the comment, though he might have been a little happy as well. Seeing that look on his face served to aggravate Erza more.

The Dragon Slayer smiled. "Mira, you–"

The white-haired girl cut him off, still glaring at her. "I'm the only one who can hit Natsu."

"Hey!"

"Shut it, loser."

"S-sorry." Natsu was cowed immediately by Mirajane's quip.

Erza's eyes narrowed dangerously. "What did you call him?"

"Eh?" Mira sneered and got up in her face. "What's it to you, tomato-girl?"

Among the increasingly-nervous crowd, two siblings shared a bothered look. "I have a bad feeling…" the boy muttered. The girl could only nod.

Thankfully, things were stopped before they could escalate further.

"Erza, Millianna." The Guild Master came up to the two arguing girls sporting a goofy smile as always. "How was the quest?"

While the white-haired bitch pissed her off, it was no reason to be rude to the Master. "There were no issues." Erza showed the elderly man a crudely drawn picture with many names written in crayon along the edges. "The children of the village presented us with this art piece as a show of gratitude."

Millianna frowned. "I don't know… some of them were picking on nee-chan…"

"Hm?" Fairy Tail's Guild Master vocalized everyone's surprise. It was difficult to imagine someone picking on Erza. Nonetheless…

"Don't worry," Macao waved his hand dismissively. "Boys pick on girls they like all the time. They probably just had a crush on you."

Just as the two girls were about to concede the older man's point, Mirajane got her last two-cents in. "Hah! As if any boy would like a walking tin can."

"Huh?" An annoyed tick crossed Erza's brow. "What was that, you skank?"

"You heard me." Mira puffed her chest out proudly, hands on her hips. Gray and Natsu averted their eyes from all the skin her crop top exposed. "And I _know _you're just jealous of my smokin' bod. You _wish _you could pull off my look."

To Makarov's dismay, the dispute quickly derailed into a brawl; one that Natsu was all too happy to get involved in. Naturally, that lead to him being too rough and accidentally knocking into Gray, which meant that another brown-haired girl had to step in to separate the two. That didn't go quite as planned for her.

It wasn't long before the entire guild descended into chaos before the old man's eyes. He whimpered, and could only pray that it wouldn't be a recurring thing. Gildarts was bad enough.

Unknown to all, the frowns sported by the two instigators were more self-reflective than was evident... even to them.

xxxxxxx

Erza sat with Millianna at a nearby pastry shop, a slice of strawberry shortcake barely touched in front of her. Her gaze was firmly planted on another group of young girls her age, so she didn't catch the worried look her surrogate sister was giving her.

"Nee-chan?"

The redhead snapped to attention. "I'm sorry, I was lost in thought. Did you say something?"

Millianna frowned but dropped the issue. "You've been out of it today. What's wrong?"

Erza's eyes dropped to her bulky and out-of-place breastplate. It serves her quite well, but…

"I was just thinking that the blouse that girl is wearing is quite pretty."

"I suppose," was her answer, though she didn't quite understand where the older girl's thoughts were going with this. "I can't really imagine you ever really _wearing _something like that though."

"…Right." The armour-clad girl balled her hands in her lap. Ever since she got out of _that _hellhole, she felt… vulnerable. The protection body armour provided was purely physical, yet somehow, it helped her feel like she wasn't so unbearably _weak_.

She was a little strange, but nonetheless a regular girl at heart. _Of course, _she would want to wear pretty clothes. _Of course, _she knew that her armour wasn't feminine.

She knew, and yet…

"HEY! HEEEEEY! ERZA! MILLIANNA!"

An excited Natsu walked into the quiet establishment and proceeded to make it noticeably less quiet. Nearby patrons shot him glares, but nothing more than that. Behind him was a sheepish-looking Sho.

Millianna giggled to herself and waved the two over to their table.

Once she and Erza had returned from their mission, the four of them agreed to meet up the next day. They were able to settle for a pastry shop once they were able to explain to Natsu that "pastry" meant "food".

"Natsu," Erza nodded. "Have you found a place to stay yet?"

Her response was a grin and a flexed bicep. "Kind of. I stayed at the guild last night, but I already started building my house!"

Erza blinked.

Millianna blinked.

Sho blinked.

"What?"

"Nii-san, why are you _building _a house?" Sho asked.

"Isn't that what everyone else does?" Natsu's confusion sounded genuine, which exasperated the other three greatly.

"No, usually people pay to stay in places that are already built," was Erza's helpful answer.

"With what money?"

Millianna gave him an encouraging smile. "Well, you wouldn't have much right now, but once you start taking quests you'll make lots! I'm sure of it."

"…We get _paid_?"

Sho buried his face in his hands. "Oooh boy."

And so, they collectively agreed to drop the subject for now. They could fill Natsu in on all the things he didn't know later, but the given day was better spent doing other things.

As they continued to talk about anything that came to mind, catching up on time missed, Natsu couldn't help but notice something different about Erza. Eventually, she noticed his eyes caught on her and blushed in slight discomfort.

"W-what is it."

"You look different, somehow." Natsu scratched his chin.

"My armour?" she tried, not actually thinking he was that–

"That's it!" Natsu's fist hit his palm. "And you grew your eye back! Congratulations."

"Erm, that's a prosthetic, actually," corrected Sho. "People can't grow their eyes back when they lose them."

"Really? Looks pretty real to me."

"And you _just _noticed she was wearing _armour_? You hugged her and everything. Didn't you feel how hard she was?" Even Millianna got sucked into the pit that was curbing Natsu's idiocy.

"Well, her chest always seemed pretty hard to me."

Erza huffed, her nose scrunched in annoyance. She had to actively hold her fist back from plowing into his face.

"Come on, nii-chan. It's pretty noticeable."

She knew that Sho didn't mean anything by it, but she was starting to get fed up.

"Say Erza," said Natsu obliviously, "why are you wearing armour anyway?"

She had enough. She snapped back at him, maybe with a little more venom than she intended. "I get it, ok? Armour isn't feminine. I _don't care_. I don't need you three to tell me what I should or shouldn't wear!"

An uncomfortable silence befell them. Erza took the time to relax her tense hands.

"…Nee-chan" tried Millianna tentatively. "Is that why you were looking at that girl's clothes for so long? You were thinking about how she looked more 'feminine' than you?"

Instead of getting angry again, the redhead just looked away in embarrassment. "It's not like that. I feel _comfortable _in my armour, I do, but… I don't know." She couldn't find the words to properly express how she was feeling.

"So you want to wear something else, but at the same time, you don't? I don't get it." Natsu was ever the simpleton, but his companions had come to accept that. For that reason, none of them chose to comment. "Millianna, was it those girls over there?" he pointed at the group of young women from earlier.

"Uhm, yeah, why?" confusion was visible in her voice. Suddenly her eyes widened as she saw him pull himself from his stool. "Wait, don't do anything–"

He was out of earshot. The three of them saw their pink-haired friend walk up to the other group and talk to them about something. What they were saying couldn't be heard, but it wasn't long before he made his way back to the table.

"What was that?" asked Sho.

"Heart Creuz," he said simply, looking directly at Erza as he spoke. "That's the clothes they were wearing."

Erza smiled softly. "Thank you for letting me know, Natsu. However, I'm comfortable wearing what I have."

"Are you an idiot?" his head tilted to the side. She would've found it cute if she didn't feel like caving his head in with the broad end of the table.

"Watch it–"

"Stop overthinking it," he interrupted. "You want to wear armor, fine. If you think this 'Heart Creuz' person makes pretty clothes, just get them to make you pretty armor."

"I don't think it's _that _simple, nii-chan," Sho sweatdropped.

"Isn't it? Let's go right now."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"What are you waiting for?" he took Erza by the hand, snapping her and the other two out of their bewilderment. "Come on."

"Wait–" Before she knew it, she was being pulled out of the store, her little siblings following them like confused puppies. "Wait! Wait, wait, wait! We didn't even pay, you know!"

Natsu _didn't _know. Or care.

xxxxxxx

The clerk of Magnolia's Heart Creuz outlet store looked up from her magazine with feigned interest as a pink-haired boy dragged a frazzled-looking redhead through the door. A pair of slightly younger kids followed after them.

"Hello, can I help you find anything in particular." It might have been posed as a question, but the clerk's voice was too flat to tell.

"Yeah, actually. We're looking for armor."

The look the clerk gave the pink-haired boy was possibly even flatter. "Armor."

"Armor." He repeated.

"We don't have armor."

"Oh okay." –The clerk brought her magazine back up to her face– "Can you make some for us then?"

The magazine dropped again. She sighed. "Sorry, we don't take commissions here."

If the clerk thought she had ended the conversation there, she was sorely mistaken.

"Why not?" asked the annoying pink-haired kid.

"This is a store for final-sale products. If you want to buy something custom made you'll have to go to the head office in Crocus."

"Eh? That's a little too far," muttered the redhead.

_Like I care! _Is what she'd like to say.

"I'm sorry, there's nothing else I can do for you."

Natsu turned to face Erza head-on, eyes flat. "So, should we go to Crocus now then?"

Millianna and Sho shared a commiserating look.

The armor-clad girl in question opened her mouth to answer him, then closed it just as quickly. She let out a hum as a finger scratched her chin. "I wonder…"

"No," was the unimpressed response from both Sho and Millianna.

"No," conceded the older girl, "Well, at least not today."

Natsu's shoulders dropped, his expression genuinely apologetic. "Sorry, Erza. We weren't able to help you today."

"It's alright," she shifted closer to him and pulled him into a one-armed hug, slamming his head into her metal breastplate once more. "How about this? Let's all go on a quest sometime. Together. We can find something that takes us close to Crocus, and I can go to Heart Creuz then."

Ignoring his aching temple, he made sure to flash the girl the widest smile he could muster. "Sounds great!"

A new voice chortled, "Eh? That's a pretty stupid face you're making, Natsu!"

All of them –save for the clerk who was no longer paying attention– faced the newcomer.

Standing next to a clothing rack with a smug grin and crossed arms was Mirajane. Whether she was in the store the entire time or had just arrived was a mystery. "Seriously! It's as if you _like _getting your face smashed against steel. Are you some sort of pervert?"

"Mira? When did you get here?" asked Natsu, as if she didn't say a thing.

On the other hand, Erza wasn't about to let that go. Seeing someone treat one of her dear friends with such blatant inconsideration made her bristle inside.

Natsu let out a startled yelp as the girl holding him close suddenly flung him aside. The redhead stalked up to the eldest Strauss sibling with clenched fists and stiff shoulders. "You…"

Ignorant of the ire she was invoking –or maybe because of it– Mirajane placed her hand on her cheek disarmingly. She gave the best wide-eyed and innocent look of surprise she could muster.

"Me?" she gasped, tone saccharine and obviously fake.

"…I've had _enough of you_!"

And with that, Erza snapped. Faster than anyone present could react, her hands came up and shoved the white-haired teen into a nearby clothing rack. With a loud crash, both Mirajane and the tipped structure fell to the floor in a messy heap.

Mirajane's façade crumbled along with the rest of her. She shot to her feet with vengeance on her mind. "Watch it, bitch!"

Natsu, Millianna, and Sho could do nothing but stare at the duo, dumbfounded.

The two girls charged at each other with ugly snarls. Blow after blow was delivered to each side, but neither even tried to dodge.

Erza landed a strong right hook on Mira's cheek, giving her a new split lip and sending a splatter of blood flying off to the side. Mira's wound back arm belied her intention to return the favour, but before she could do anything…

"Mira-nee!"

Lisanna came in through the entrance looking panicked. Seeing the state both Erza and her sister were in, her lips curled into a frown. "_This _is what you were doing? I can't believe you!"

The quarreling girls froze in their tracks, staring at the younger Strauss dumbly. Once Mirajane found her bearings she tried to defend herself. "Lisanna, I–"

"_I _don't want to hear it."

"Neither do I," announced a decidedly annoyed shop clerk. No amount of money would be worth the trouble that would ensue if these brats kept going. "I'm going to have to ask you all to leave."

All of the Fairy Tail mages blushed bashfully –except for Natsu, of course. As a group, they made their way out the door and stood by the side of the street awkwardly as Erza and Mirajane continued to shoot each other venomous glares.

"I'm sorry about that, everyone. I'll take Mira-nee home now," said Lisanna simply with a bow.

"Hey, Li–"

Whatever Mirajane was about to say was silenced with a hard look from her younger sister.

"Whatever." She huffed and looked away. The elder Strauss girl let the youngest pull her away by the hand.

The group watched the two leave in silence. Once they were out of sight, Sho commented plainly, "Well, that was… a surprise."

Natsu and Millianna nodded in sync.

"That… _that…_" Erza muttered to herself through ground teeth while she rubbed a bruise she got on her shoulder.

"Here, let me see." The cat fanatic unbuckled the redhead's spaulder gingerly so as not to aggravate whatever wound was there.

As Millianna did her best to "nurse" Erza, Natsu felt the need to ask, "What is it with you two? Every time you see each other, you get into a fight."

"She rubs me the wrong way. That's all."

The group of four was silent for a moment after that.

Neither Sho nor Natsu had any reason to refute her argument, but Millianna was certain something else was going on. Slowly, pieces started to come together in her mind.

"Nee-chan, the reason you've been worried about how you look recently… is it because of when–"

"Of course not."

The two boys shared a look, clearly not understanding what was up, but Millianna smiled softly to herself. Erza liked to act like nothing got to her, but reality dictated otherwise.

"Yeah, of course not."

xxxxxxx

"You were gone _fifteen minutes_, and you somehow managed to start a fight with Erza. _Again! _What's with that? Erza wasn't even on the same side of town as us today! We were supposed to go buy groceries _near our house_, and you said that you'd go _across the street _to pick up some flour. Where's the flour, Mira-nee! …Are you even listening to me? Hey!"

If Mira was being honest with herself, then no. No, she wasn't listening.

After Lisanna dragged her away, she started to rant about how irresponsible she was being, that she was rude, inconsiderate, yadda, yadda, yadda. Honestly, the argument came and went full circle a couple of times now.

"What did you two even start fighting about?"

Mirajane clicked her tongue and looked away.

Evidently, Lisanna didn't like that. "Mira-nee!"

The eldest sighed. Her little sister was usually quite soft-spoken, but when she got mad like this it would be easier to just humour her. "She ticked me off, duh."

Lisanna took a deep breath to prevent herself from yelling. Lisanna is _nice, _and _sweet_. Lisanna doesn't _yell_, she had to remind herself.

"Then why were you at that clothing store? To me, it looks like you went out of your way to start a fight." Lisanna didn't like it when friction came about between people she cared about. Especially when said friction _didn't need to happen_.

Mira tried to play it cool. "What can I say? I was minding my own business when all of a sudden I saw her and Natsu scampering off to cause a commotion somewhere. I couldn't very well leave their unfortunate victims to their–"

"So this is about Natsu, then?"

"Eh?" Mirajane looked absolutely affronted. "Of course not. You think I'm picking fights with Erza, just 'cuz I'm what, _jealous _that she's spending all this time with Natsu? That's stupid. I just don't like her. She's a real stuck-up bitch."

The younger Strauss smirked– an expression that wasn't altogether common for her. It would seem that the cat caught the proverbial canary. "I didn't say anything about being jealous, Mira-nee."

"…"

"…"

"Tch."

The two walked in silence back to their house.

"…Do you want to talk about it?"

"Shut up," slurred a ticked off Mirajane.

"…"

"…"

"Elfman got the flour, by the way."

Mirajane looked away so that the pink tinge of her cheeks couldn't be seen. "Sorry about that."

Lisanna smiled again, though unlike her last one, it was bright and honest. Her sister, as crude as she was, was a kind soul. Even when she was angry, her love and devotion to her siblings would still shine through in the end.

"About the flour or the fight?"

"Hn."


	5. The princess and the lizard

(A/N) Ah... this came out way later than I wanted it to. On the bright side, midterm season is over, so that means I can finally focus on these stories again!

On an unrelated note (for those that care), Jaune d'Arc's second chapter will, unfortunately, be subject to further delay. It turns out that I was unhappy with the direction that my writing was taking the story relative to my "game plan", so to speak. To my immeasurable dismay, that means that I kicked close to 40,000 words worth of material to the curb. _On the bright side, _I'm hoping that the final product will be of a quality that everyone is satisfied with.

But to get back on track, I'm pleased to announce the beginning of canon. Some things will de different, others reimagined, but I hope it will be fun to read nonetheless.

xxxxxxx

At Hargeon station, the noise of the crowd's hustle and bustle was momentarily cut by the shrill whistle of an arriving train, followed by the shriek of the breaks slowly pulling the locomotive to a full stop. People were already piling near the edges of the platform, patiently (for the most part) waiting for the doors to open so that they could take the seats of those that would be exiting at any moment.

And exit, they did. One by one, countless unnamed faces tricked out through the numerous exit points. The ones with luggage were likely here to take a boat elsewhere, while the rest could have come for any good reason, be it leisure or business.

It was the latter that brought one pink-haired man and his companion to the port town, though if one were to look at the said man they would assume he was here to attend his own funeral.

In fact, the man's otherwise tanned complexion seemed so drained that it appeared almost pale. Sweat beaded down his matted locks of hair and fell between onyx eyes that didn't look all that focused. His sandals caught on the rough pavement with every step, as his legs weren't carrying him as much as they were being dragged forward.

"Happy."

"Hm?" his companion, an oddly proportioned flying blue cat, tilted his head in acknowledgment with a strange human likeness.

"The next train I get on, I'm _obliterating_."

"Ah. You said something scary again Natsu." Despite his words, the cat still had a joyful smile plastered to its face.

"I'm gonna be so pissed if Igneel isn't here," Natsu grumbled to himself, disregarding the cat's comment.

Considering the person in question was a dragon, and Natsu was looking for a dragon in the middle of a city, one could only comment that the poor sap was _looking_ to disappoint himself. Unfortunately, the truth of the matter is simply that Natsu would always be incorrigibly daft, and nothing would likely change that.

Natsu and his little blue friend trudged along Hargeon's cobblestone paths, diligently (and uselessly) darting their heads around in a piss-poor attempt to find the young man's foster father.

"Look, it's really him! The Salamander!" shouted a voice further out.

The duo perked up when they heard that. Seeing a group of people gathered to ogle _something _in the closest plaza, it was a safe assumption that the disembodied shout came from somewhere in that direction.

And as such, the team of two made their way up to the crowd.

Natsu felt a budding weight, deep in his stomach as he shuffled through the wave of closely packed strangers. What would he do once he saw Igneel after all this time? There were so many unanswered questions, so many unresolved feelings, so many–

"Hm? The fuck are you?" was all the pinkette could say once he made his way to the front, only to be met face to face with some pansy-looking softboy making kissy faces at the crowd.

"…What?"

While the pathetic-looking guy was too baffled to say anything, the same couldn't be said for his many admirers.

"Hey! Who do you think you are?"

"Take that back!"

"Are you trying to start a fight?"

Natsu felt a cold sweat drip down his back as countless angry women prepared to let their ire be known to him. He was about to grab Happy and bolt, but he was then saved by an unlikely party.

"Ladies, ladies, please," the loser whispered in a bedroom voice. "I'm sure the young man meant nothing by it. While it may be hard to believe, there _are _those who haven't heard of the great Salamander."

As one, the girls in the crowd swooned.

"Oh my! So kind…"

"I wish my boyfriend could be considerate like you."

"You're a saint, mister Salamander!"

The "Salamander" waved them off, either dismissing them or trying to act nonchalantly about it. Once again, he addressed Natsu. "I'm sorry about that. Here," –he scribbled something on a paper he took out from his pocket– "have my autograph."

Before Natsu could say anything, Happy flew up and took the autograph. In a panicked voice, he stuttered, "Y-yeah, thanks, mister! We'll be going now!"

The cat grabbed Natsu by the scarf and hurriedly pulled him along.

The Salamander froze and blinked. "Talking cat?"

Once they were a respectable distance away, Natsu asked, "What was that about?"

Happy didn't answer. All he could muster was a relieved sigh. "Crisis averted…"

It was like this as far back as Happy could remember–since he was born, really. Natsu had this strange habit of inadvertently causing commotions –huge commotions– everywhere he went, and for the longest time, going on quests outside of Magnolia would always end in disaster because Natsu managed to piss _someone _off, break something, or some strange combination of the two.

The learning curve wasn't always there for the little blue feline –it sure as shit wasn't there for Natsu– but it came around for him eventually. In time, he learned to read the signs and –if he did say so himself– became quite the adept at extracting his friend before he could do something stupid.

This was one of those "extractions".

"Uhm, excuse me…"

The pair turned to face a flustered blonde girl, maybe a year or two younger than Natsu. Having caught their attention, she absentmindedly played with the hem of her skirt as she tried to find her words. "Thank you, for, uh… saving me. It's embarrassing to say, but that guy got us all pretty good. If it weren't for you, I'm pretty sure I'd still be stuck under his charm spell!"

Both Natsu and Happy blinked in visible confusion.

The girl seemed to catch on to the fact that they _weren't _catching on, and laughed softly to herself. "Sorry, I suppose I didn't explain myself very well. How about this: I'll buy you lunch to make it up to you. I'll explain things properly then."

Natsu didn't know what this strange lady was on about, but he _did _know that he was just offered food.

"Sure!" he grinned.

Somehow, she seemed familiar.

xxxxxxx

"–And so, your interruption helped me break out of his charm magic! Seriously, what kind of reputable mage uses restricted magical items so willy-nilly? Oh –that's another wizard thing, by the way. You don't have to worry about that." The blonde girl finished talking to herself with a wide smile and clasped hands.

In front of her, Natsu and Happy happily tuned her out as they scarfed down plate after plate of food. Nearby patrons of the corner-side diner look on in a strange blend of nausea and awe.

The girl didn't seem to mind– or notice, really.

The smile was still plastered to her face. "I'm Lucy, by the way. What's– HOW DID YOU EAT SO MUCH FOOD!?"

Happy tilted his head. "You just noticed that?"

Lucy's eyes bugged. "YOU'RE TALKING!?"

Natsu tilted his head. "You just noticed that?"

The blonde's head fell into her hands. "My poor wallet…"

Unfortunately for her, she wasn't able to make her misery known to the thick-headed duo across the table.

Natsu stretched out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Lucy, I'm Natsu. Thank you for the food, by the way."

Weakly, the blonde chuckled. "Yeah."

"You know a lot about magical items," remarked Happy. "So you must be a wizard, right?"

Her good mood came right back. "That's right! Though I'm not part of a guild yet… Sorry, that's right! A lot of normal people wouldn't know this, but guild representation is actually how most wizards make a living. How it works is that–"

"It's okay, Lucy, we know how guilds work," Happy butted in.

That took the steam out of her. Her cheeks heated up to a dark cherry red as she bashfully tried to hide her face behind her fingers. "Oh my gosh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to imply anything, it's just that most people I run across don't really understand all this wizard stuff, so I automatically…" she trailed off in mortification.

"Don't worry about it." Natsu's previously bored expression flipped into an easy-going smile. "You sure do apologize a lot, don't you?"

"Sorry, ha…"

"By the way, Lucy, who was that Salamander guy?" asked Happy. "He seems really popular."

"Oh, you mean you don't know?" Lucy's mouth formed an 'o'. "He's a super well-known wizard. Apparently, his magic is so strong that, in the past, entire cities had to be evacuated so that no one would get hurt!"

Natsu and Happy had stars in their eyes. "Hear that, Happy? This guy sounds, like, really strong!"

"Aye, sir!"

Lucy, however, didn't share their enthusiasm. "I know, right? But why would someone so amazing lower themselves to using something like a charm magic?"

"…"

"Anyway!" Lucy got up and patted down the crinkles in her skirt. She reached into her purse and placed a few bills on the table. "Thanks again, you guys. If we run into each other again, don't be strangers, ya hear?"

Natsu met her eyes with a wide grin. "Yeah! And we can treat _you _next time."

The girl matched his expression with a smile of her own. With a wave, she left the two travelers to their own devices.

"Hey, Natsu."

"Hm?"

"If she was looking for a guild, do you think we should've offered to take her to Fairy Tail?"

The pinkette's lips melted into a gentle curve as he laughed quietly. "Nah. She looked pretty determined; I'd bet she already has somewhere she wants to go."

xxxxxxx

"Kya~" squealed Lucy as she read the most recent copy of _Sorcerer's Weekly _magazine. "Blue Pegasus' Guild Master sent _what _to Mermaid Heel? …Oh! Heart Creuz is releasing a collaboration line with Fairy Tail? Really!? Geez, what I wouldn't give to join Fairy Tail…"

The blonde draped herself over a nearby park bench and kicked her legs about absentmindedly. Lost in daydreams of being a part of one of Fiore's best guilds, she didn't notice the person approaching her until he spoke.

"Hey there! I saw you earlier when I was handing out autographs, but you left! Something the matter?"

A little startled at first, it took Lucy a moment to register who was talking to her.

"You! You're that Salamander who uses that gross charm magic!"

Theatrically, Salamander brushed his hair behind his ears. "Oh, my! I can understand your discomfort, really I can, but you simply _must _understand that _I_, being the amazing wizard that I am, can get bored quite easily! The charm was nothing but a harmless little trick to help me socialize a little easier. I can assure you that there were no shady ulterior motives involved."

She ignored him and promptly went back to her magazine. Seeing that he was losing her interest, the man added in a panic, "I couldn't help but overhear that you wanted to join Fairy Tail, is that true?"

She stiffened, and he could tell that her interest had been renewed–at least temporarily. And so he continued, "I'm a Fairy Tail mage, you know. It would be kind of hard, but if you really wanted to I could help you join. An insider invite, if you would."

Lucy's magazine fell to her lap. This man… was someone like this really from Fairy Tail? Could he really get her into the guild of her dreams?

"Is that really something you can do?"

"Of course!" his ever-present smile widened. "Just do me a little favour in return, would you?"

Lucy frowned. She didn't like where this was going. Would he try to force her to go out with him? No, no way. He may be a creep, but he's pretty famous. If he tried something underhanded like that, the media would definitely take notice.

"You're quite the pretty young lass, I must admit. I'm throwing a party on my yacht tonight, and I would love it if a flower such as yourself would be so graceful as to grace me with your presence."

This… this she could do. Sure, she didn't _want _to, but she could definitely put up with him for one party. Once she joined Fairy Tail, she could just ghost him most of the time.

"Alright, mister Salamander," she tried to give a cheeky smile, but it couldn't hide her nerves. "I'll see you tonight."

xxxxxxx

Happy nervously followed a peeved Natsu as he briskly pushed his way through the crowded streets of Hargeon. "Come on, Natsu, don't be mad! So what if you couldn't find Igneel? We'll just have to keep looking."

"Do you think anyone would miss Krov if he disappeared?" Natsu whispered to himself.

"You're being scary again Natsu."

"He brought it upon himself for misleading me."

The cat didn't know what to say to that. Even if he did though, he couldn't possibly muster the courage to say it. Instead, Happy chose to redirect his companion's thoughts. "Hargeon's pretty big, isn't it? Do you think it would be a good place to look for _that_?"

Natsu stopped his advance. "I wonder…"

The man's own thoughts were interrupted by the volume of a nearby conversation.

"Hey, did you hear? Apparently, the wizard Salamander was in town earlier picking up girls by the dozen!"

"Seriously? Even if he's a well-known wizard, isn't that a little too forward?"

"Yeah, creepy too, if you ask me."

Natsu listened for a moment longer. He then kept walking as if he didn't hear anything.

Since the commotion early that morning, it was all the residents of Hargeon town could talk about. It was all _Salamander did this _or _Salamander did that_. Honestly, who the hell cared?

He had better things to worry about.

Unknown to anyone, a pretty young woman with wavy blonde hair overheard the gossip talks from a nearby coffee shop patio.

"Salamander? Why, isn't that the name of… my, oh my!" she covered her mouth to stifle a giggle. "What a scandal! _That one _would hate to hear about this, wouldn't she?"

Naturally, she would be the one to tell her. She couldn't wait to hear how frazzled _that one _would be!

The wavy blond-haired girl waived down a waiter. "Excuse me, I'll need to use your communications Lacrima."

xxxxxxx

Lucy, dressed up a little more than she'd like to be, looked around nervously at the crowd of people waiting to board the luxurious boat. Really, it looked more like a cruise ship than a yacht.

Apparently, she was the only one who was worried. The other soon-to-be party-goers talked animatedly amongst themselves in a way that only those anticipating the time of their lives could.

If she had to point out one outlier, however, it would be the white-haired girl fidgeting around on her own. The girl looked as if she were looking for someone, and wasn't dressed up like everyone else.

"Hey there! Is there something wrong?" Lucy wouldn't consider herself to be the world's most altruistic person or anything like that, but seeing someone look so lost made her feel like she had to do something.

"Oh!" the white-haired girl noticed that she was being addressed. "Uhm. Would you, perchance, know where I could find someone going by the name Salamander?"

Lucy blinked. "Yeah, this is his party. Isn't that why you're here?"

The frown on the girl's face showed that she didn't like what she was hearing. "Apparently so…"

"Don't worry. I'm sure that if you're trying to find him, he'll come around. From what I've gathered, he appears before pretty girls like a moth to a flame," the blonde tried to amend. She couldn't help but think about how… strange the wizard was.

"That's…" the white-haired girl's frown turned queasy. "Never mind. Thank you for your help, miss. I'll see you around." With a wave, she disappeared into the crowd.

Lucy hummed. "Well, that was odd." Was she looking for him or trying to avoid him?

"Ah! I'm so happy you could make it!"

The blonde turned to be faced with Salamander himself. As always, the man was well dressed, if nothing else.

"Come! Take a seat with me. The Yacht will be taking off any moment now."

Without a word, she followed him to one of the private booths. A waiter brought them two glasses and a bottle of wine. She could vaguely tell that the vessel had started to move.

"Please do forgive my impudence," he started as he poured them both a glass. "I was so entranced by your beauty that I forgot to catch your name!"

"Lucy," she offered. If he could really get her into Fairy Tail, then it wouldn't do to be rude.

"A lovely name for a lovely girl. Well then!" he lifted his glass, inviting her to do the same, "A toast: in celebration of a future member of Fairy Tail!"

Despite herself, she smiled. She could get behind that.

However, before the glass made it to her lips, she paused as a strange feeling came over her.

A gasp. "Hey! I know what you're doing!" She threw both the liquid and its container crashing to the floor. "That other ring on your finger… You're trying to cast a sleep magic on me!"

Instead of denying it, Salamander merely clicked his tongue. "Pity. I thought this would go without incident.

"Hey!" Lucy was starting to get angry. She reached for the keyring tucked under her dress. "Yeah, I want to get into Fairy Tail, but that doesn't mean I'll let you take advantage of me!"

"You still believe that? Huh." Salamander's expression remained the same. "Yeah, no. We're going to Bosco. Selling everyone on this ship as slaves."

"You…" Lucy was livid. This was Salamander? The mighty wizard from Fairy Tail? If this is what it meant to be a Fairy Tail mage, then she wanted no part in it. "Salamander, you really are the scum of the earth!"

"Oh, thank god."

Both Lucy and Salamander whipped their heads around to face the unexpected newcomer.

Lucy recognized her. It was the white-haired girl from earlier. Compared to when she first met her, the girl looked a lot more relaxed. Quite strange, considering current circumstances.

The newcomer sighed in relief. "I'm so glad it's just an imposter. I wouldn't want to explain _this _one to Mira-nee otherwise."

"You," addressed Salamander pointedly. "Who the hell are you? How did you get in here?"

The man's second question went unanswered. "I'm Lisanna Strauss, a Fairy Tail mage. The real question here would be, who are _you_?"

Lucy froze. Huh?

"Tch. Those idiot lackeys of mine can't do anything right. _Come here, you idiots!_" The fake salamander looked more annoyed than worried as he called out to his people beyond the curtains of the booth.

…

"They're not coming, I don't think," said the Fairy Tail girl. She pulled back the curtain to show the unconscious bodies of countless ruffians strewn across the floor. "I took care of them already."

The panic that was previously absent in the fake Salamander hit him very visibly at that moment.

The blonde felt a shiver go down her spine despite herself. She knew that Fairy Tail mages were strong, but… this?

"Damnit!" in a spike of rage, the faker charged towards Lisanna. "Don't you underestimate me!"

An oddly colored flame circled his arm before shooting out at the white-haired girl.

Lucy panicked. "Look out!"

The concern was unwarranted, however, as just before the spell hit her, Lisanna mumbled, "**Animal Soul: Cat**."

Faster than an untrained eye could keep track of, Lisanna –now sporting clawed paws and cat-like ears– twirled her body around the stream of fire and jumped a safe distance away.

Off to the side, one of the grounded grunts coughed. He regained consciousness but was still too weak to move. "Run, mister Bora! She's the real deal!"

Instead of heeding the man's warning, the fake Salamander got angry and yelled, "You moron! I told you buffoons not to call me that!"

"I see," said Lisanna. "I understand who you are now. Bora of Prominence; I heard you got kicked out of Titan Nose recently for doing some pretty shady stuff."

"Wait," interjected Lucy, confused. "So this guy really isn't Salamander?"

She got a scoff in response. "No way. Our Salamander is the opposite of this guy in every sense."

"Ah…" Lucy felt relieved. She had started to reconsider whether she really wanted to join Fairy Tail after all that happened, but it's fine if the creep was just an imposter.

"Don't ignore me, you bitch!" Bora's flames came crashing down like a whip.

"I told you, didn't I?" Lisanna sidestepped the attack, allowing the flame whip to pass her by harmlessly. "The _real _Salamander is your complete opposite. Unlike him, you're not that strong."

It only took two steps for Lisanna to get into striking range of Bora. At first, Lucy thought she'd take a swipe at him with her claws, but instead she hit him with a palm strike powerful enough to send him crashing through the side of the ship.

Splurt.

Apparently, the battle didn't finish without consequence. Through the now-numerous gashes and cracks in the walls and floorboard, seawater was starting to slowly but surely seep into the boat.

Lisanna sweatdropped. "Oh, bother."

The whole ship rumbled. Lucy would have lost her footing were it not for Lisanna holding her steady. "You're Lucy, right? Those keys you're holding… could it be that you're a **celestial spirit** mage?"

"Uh, y-yeah."

The Fairy Tail mage took a deep breath to calm her nerves. This wasn't exactly the kind of situation she was used to, either. "This is a longshot, but you wouldn't happen to have and contracted spirits that could help us get this boat to the coastline in one piece, would you?"

Lucy's eyes brightened. Finally, something she could do to help. "I do, actually! Just leave it to me!"

Lisanna's relief was palpable. "That's great. I'll go secure the passengers."

As the **Take Over **mage left the room, Lucy raised one of her golden keys above her head. "I open the **Gate of the Water Bearer: Aquarius**!"

Almost instantly, a blue-haired mermaid-like being appeared before her. The grimace on the being's face contrasted quite heavily with its appearance. "You've got _some nerve_, Girl. Do you know that? I was on a date with my boyfriend."

Lucy gulped nervously but put on a brave face. It was difficult to deal with Aquarius sometimes, but this was important, damnit! "I know it's a bad time, but please listen! We need to get everyone on this ship to solid ground before we sink."

Aquarius looked around, taking note of the situation. She huffed, admitting to herself that her master made the right choice. "Fine, I'll help."

"Thank you so–"

"This time."

The blonde's face drained itself of all colour upon meeting her celestial spirit's piercing gaze. "Y-yes ma'am."

Without wasting another word, the mermaid swung her arm in the docks' general direction.

"Wha!?" Caught off guard, Lucy fell flat on her face. The yacht shot forward like a bullet, and in no time at all, slammed into the shoreside.

Hard.

Lucy, who was by then standing near the front of the vessel, got catapulted straight into the ground below.

"Ouch…" the spirit mage grumbled to herself, rubbing her backside. She was on her feet an instant later.

"_You_!" she accused, pointing at her contracted spirit. "You didn't have to be so rough about it!"

The smug grin she got in response was anything but apologetic. "Whatever squirt. See ya."

With that, Aquarius called it a day and returned to the spirit realm.

"You! Stop right there!"

A squad of Rune Knights came running up to her. They most likely had _many _questions, most of which would involve the shipwreck behind her.

The blonde mage panicked. What should she do? She was too young to go to prison! Too cute, too! She couldn't think of a way to get out of this one, seeing as how she's the one who caused most of the damages.

"Please, hold on!" Coming out from the grounded ship was Lisanna, still in her cat-like appearance. She was carrying unconscious civilians on each shoulder. "We can explain! I'm Lisanna Strauss, a mage from Fairy Tail."

The Rune Knights began to talk amongst themselves.

"Fairy Tail?"

"I guess now we know why this place is such a mess."

The rest of the squad didn't have to be told anything else. In an organized fashion, they moved in to take over the safe evacuation of the unconscious partygoers.

**CRASH**

In a colorful burst of flames, the Rune Knights were catapulted away. Pulling himself away from the unconscious bodies of his goons was a very hurt –and very angry– Bora of Prominence.

"You…" he seethed. "You bastards! I'll kill all of you!"

A condensed ball of flame swirled around in his palm. Everyone tensed the moment he pointed it in their direction; his intentions were clear.

There was one exception. Lisanna stayed cool and composed. "That's enough out of you."

She patted the blonde on the shoulder. "Lucy, can you help the Rune Knights make sure none of the criminals get away?"

"Uhm… Yeah!"

"Thanks." After getting the answer she wanted, the white-haired mage stalked meaningfully towards the volatile pyrokinetic.

**"Animal soul: Tiger."**

Lisanna's transformation was, admittedly, much more intimidating than the previous cat paws and striped bikini. The mitt-like paws were outed in exchange for orange fur that extended past her forearms like a pair of silk gloves. Her nails looked more human, if only much sharper. A striped fur-lined kimono –most likely requipped– was brought out to cover her body.

The biggest change, however, was her face. Black whisker-like markings lined her cheeks, while piercing feline eyes were matched in color by a set of orange tiger ears.

If **Animal soul: Cat **was fast, then **Tiger **was fast _and _strong. Lisanna shot off like a meteor, cratering the ground below her.

Bora sneered. "Don't think that a new pair of ears will–"

**"Crush claw."**

The title was a bit of a misnomer. Bora wasn't so much 'clawed' as he was 'bashed' with a bone-shattering palm strike. He was sent torpedoing into the ground below the shipwreck, knocking him out instantly.

Turning back to normal, Lisanna jogged back towards Lucy with a smile and wave –acting almost as if she didn't beat a man within an inch of his life.

Lucy was caught slack-jawed. Being one of the top guilds in Fiore, she had a pretty good idea that Fairy Tail wizards must have been pretty strong. But this?

She had doubts that even _Aquarius_ could beat this girl!

"Ahem..."

The supposed leader of the squad stepped up to address both of them. "I see… I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for all of this. Would you two mind coming with us to fill in the blanks?"

Lucy didn't have the time to say anything before Lisanna answered for both of them, "Of course!"

The White-haired girl noticed her partner-in-crime's panicked look, so she explained, "Don't worry, as strange as it sounds, this happens a lot when quests get ugly. Half an hour from now we should be on our merry way. If we hurry up, we might even be able to get back to the guild by morning!"

That did calm the blonde considerably. Her mind did a double-take as she processed what the Take Over mage said. "Wait. What do you mean, _we_?"

Lisanna scratched her cheek in embarrassment. "Sorry for eavesdropping, but I couldn't help but overhear you saying that you wanted to join Fairy Tail. I figured I'd take you back with me so you can join–that is, if you still want to."

Unrestrained joy took over Lucy's lips. This mess of a day just went from being one of the worst in recent memory, to the best! "I'd love that!"

xxxxxxx

Natsu yawned into his scarf as he and Happy tiredly walked down the dirt path to their house. They spent the rest of the afternoon looking for _that _book in Hargeon, but they couldn't find a single thing. After the mix-up about Igneel, that made two for two dead-end leads.

By the end of the day, Natsu was too spent –both physically and mentally– to argue with Happy over why he would _never _take another train. The little blue bastard eventually managed to drag him on another metal death-trap on the way back to Magnolia–kicking and screaming, that was.

Still, despite the agonizing return trip, they made it in good time. It was only around eleven o'clock, so they could get a good night's sleep before making it to the guild the next morning.

"Hm?"

Opening the front door, Natsu was surprised to see the lights on. Strange, considering he made sure they were off when he left.

"Welcome back, Natsu."

Even stranger_._ The voice behind him was familiar and kind, so why wouldn't his legs stop shaking?

Almost mechanically, he swiveled his head to see the harmless-looking white-haired woman smiling gently at him. Her long locks, straight-cut bangs framing her delicate face paired with her curvaceous figure would make any man feel right at home.

So why? Why did he feel like running away?

The logical part of his brain inferred that the vice grip she had on Happy's head, grabbing his skull like a baseball, could have something to do with it.

"Natsu. I'm scared," announced Happy in an even tone.

"M-Mira! Why are you here? Is there something wrong?"

Her smile grew sweeter. "Why do you ask, Natsu? Do I need a reason to visit you?"

"No, it's just–"

Evidently, she didn't really want an answer to that question, since she interrupted him and kept talking. "I heard that you had quite a bit of _fun _in Hargeon town today. Isn't that right? Picked up some _girls, did you_!?"

Natsu thought back to the nice meal that one blonde girl got for him. "I mean, I guess, yeah."

If Happy weren't fearing for his life, he might've been able to clarify the misunderstanding. As it currently stood, however, that didn't happen.

Also, Natsu was fucked.

xxxxxxx

Despite her best mental efforts to calm herself, Lucy still felt nervous. On the overnight train ride to Magnolia, Lisanna made sure to tell her on many occasions how friendly and welcoming everyone would be, but now that the building was right in front of her…

Lisanna placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her an encouraging push towards the guild hall's front door.

The spirit mage steeled herself. She could do this!

In one motion, she flung the front door open. This was it! A new adventure! A–

"NATSU IF YOU KEEP RUNNING –SO HELP ME GOD– YOUR LIFE IS FORFEIT!"

"I'LL STOP RUNNING WHEN YOU STOP CHASING ME!"

"I'M SURE HAPPY WOULD HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY ABOUT THAT!"

"LET HAPPY GO, YOU MONSTER!"

Lucy looked on in terror as what could only be an attempted murder took place in front of her. The hall was a mess; tables were overturned, support beams were split in half, and what could have once been a bar unhinged from the ground and peppered across the room.

What baffled her, though, was that there were still people seated at undamaged tables and talking amongst themselves as if nothing was going on.

"Wakaba-san, Macao-san!" Seeing the commotion around her, Lisanna went straight to two older men chatting over a beer. "How long has Mira-nee been chasing him around for?"

"Oh, Lisanna! You're back, and you brought a cute friend back with you too!" Lucy would've called the brown-haired man out for being a creep, but she was still in awe that he could act like there was nothing wrong in the background.

The blue-haired one next to him answered the question. "They've been at it since _way _before the guild opened for the day. He was able to hide from her for a good long while, but he made the mistake of trying to sneak in to grab a job. Mira-chan went _nuts _when she caught him. Do you know what's up?"

Lisanna planted her face in her hands and sighed. Why did she always have to be the responsible one?

She cupped her mouth and screamed. "MIRA-NEE!"

The guild was silent for a moment, even the two that were tearing the guild apart. Acting as if absolutely nothing happened, the angry woman flipped into a happy-go-lucky smile frighteningly fast. "Oh, Lisanna, welcome back. I see you've brought company? Though if you couldn't find that overgrown matchstick, it's fine. He's right here, evading taking responsibility for his actions."

"What actions!?" was heard in the background, then promptly ignored.

"Mira-nee, it wasn't him. I found the imposter in Hargeon," explained Lisanna. She looked fed up, and maybe even a little used to dealing with her older sister's antics.

"Is that so?" Mira mimicked a thinking pose, placing her finger under her lip–an expression that was entirely too innocent for a woman who was minutes away from collapsing a building in fury. "I guess I owe him an apology. HEY NATSU, COME HERE. YOU'VE BEEN PARDONED."

Lucy's mouth gaped as she realized the crazy woman's victim sported a familiar face. "Natsu? Is that you?"

"Hm?" Natsu seemed to have just noticed her himself. "Hey, Lucy! Could it be that you're here to join Fairy Tail?"

"Hi, Lucy!" parroted Happy… who she realized Mira held by the top of the head.

"Could… could I have an explanation, please?" Lucy couldn't keep up anymore, and she was done trying.

Lisanna chose to humour her. "One of Mira-nee's friends–"

"She's not my friend."

"One of my sister's friends," she continued as if she weren't interrupted, "gave Mira a call to let her know that someone calling themselves Salamander was causing problems in Hargeon. Mira-nee was busy, so she sent me to investigate."

"That makes sense," Lucy acknowledged. A lot of Lisanna's intentions and mannerisms at the party were cleared up. "But why was Mira-san so mad at Natsu? I didn't even know he was a Fairy Tail wizard!"

Lisanna patted Natsu on the shoulder. "Well, see... Natsu is the _real _Salamander. Since he got back to the guild before we did, I suppose my sister decided to jump the gun a little bit."

"WHAT!?" yelled both Lucy and Natsu.

The blonde stammered, "H-hold on… Natsu… you're actually some sort of really strong fire mage?"

Natsu was having his own dilemma. "_That's _why I was being chased since yesterday? People are calling me Salamander now? Since when? That's a really stupid name. I want a new one!"

Mirajane turned her head and sniffled.

The woman's younger sister laughed nervously. "Hey, you know… Mira-nee's the one who got that name registered for you…"

Seeing the bleary-eyed Mira, Natsu panicked and prostrated himself before her. "I spoke too soon! It's a good name! Fantastic name!"

Unseen to the fire mage, Mirajane flashed the two girls the smuggest, most devious grin imaginable. The other spectating guildmembers laughed at the duo's antics.

"Hey, Lisanna-san…" whispered Lucy. "There's something really strange about those two."

"I wouldn't worry about it too much. Natsu is weak to Mira-nee, and she just likes to bully him. I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't believe the rumours to begin with; she just likes to torment him."

The blonde sweatdropped. "That doesn't sound like a healthy working relationship."

Having overheard the two talking amongst themselves, Mirajane pulled Natsu into her bust, making a point of suffocating him. "Hm? I think we get along great, though."

_Yeah, right! _Is what Lucy would have liked to say.

"So… do you still want to join after coming all the way here?" asked the younger Strauss, sounding hopeful. "I know this wasn't the best of first impressions, but I promise you'd love it!"

It… was a pretty rocky introduction; she'd admit that, at the very least. However, after speaking with Natsu and getting to know Lisanna, and now seeing the guild in person? She could tell that this place had real character to it. Her sense of adventure was telling her that this wasn't an opportunity that she should give up.

"Yeah, I'd love to!"

The whole guild broke into raucous cheers.

"We've got a new girl!"

"And she's pretty cute, too!"

"Let's party!"

Despite the strange characters that filled the place, Lucy felt pretty good about her decision. This was a new start for her, and she'd make the most of it.

"Lisanna, could you be a dear and get the master for me? There shouldn't be an issue, but he still technically has to approve all the new members," asked Mirajane as she tied her bangs up over her head and put on the apron that was strewn over the now-destroyed bar. "If these boys want to party, then I'll have to go get some barrels from downstairs."

Lucy's eyes narrowed. Mira looked familiar, somehow…

The younger Strauss blinked. "Come to think of it, where _is _the master? He can't be upstairs, or he would've definitely stopped the fight by now."

Mira's scary smile was back. "Well, I couldn't very well punish Natsu if Master interrupted us, could I? I had Levy take him with her to oversee renovations at Fairy Hills."

Lisanna shook her head in disappointment. "Of course you did… Well, I'll be back with him in half an hour."

Both Natsu and Happy –who was _still_ being held by Mira– waved animatedly at the departing girl. "Bye, Lisanna!"

The moment she left, Lucy had an epiphany. "Wait! You're _the _Mirajane!"

"I see my reputation precedes me," joked the young woman.

"Yeah!" agreed the excited blonde. "Sorcerer Magazine has you ranked as the most popular female mage in Fiore! I've heard that the issue sales _double _when you're the cover model."

"Oh, stop it, you!" Mirajane waved her hand bashfully. "It's triple, though, actually."

The **celestial spirit **mage laughed as her eyebrow twitched. _I can't tell if you're trying to be humble or not._

"Hey, Lucy?" asked Natsu as he gingerly removed Happy from the white-haired girl's clutches, "Why didn't you just say that you wanted to join Fairy Tail back in Hargeon? I could've taken you."

"Well, I didn't even think you were a mage," she answered. "Let alone a super powerful one like Salamander!"

"I could've sworn I mentioned it, though."

"Nope!" chirped Happy as he rubbed his abused cranium.

"Huh. Never mind then."

"Actually, now that you bring it up…" Lucy pursed her lips and scrunched her eyebrows. She was having a tough time figuring something out. "Why were you in Hargeon in the first place? To me, it just seems like all it did was cause you trouble."

Mira looked to him expectantly. Apparently, she didn't know why he left either.

Natsu's mood noticeably fell, and the blonde wondered if she said something wrong. "I… was looking for my adoptive father. When I heard that a salamander was in Hargeon, I thought that maybe–"

"Aww," cooed Mirajane as she once again (quite forcefully) cradled the young man's head against her chest. "Natsu's daddy could never actually be in Hargeon, but Natsu's kind of an idiot so he wouldn't think of that. It's okay, Natsu, we love you anyway."

Instead of being affronted on Natsu's behalf by the white-haired woman's inconsiderate actions, Lucy decided to lock in on what she said. "Why couldn't he be in Hargeon?"

Mirajane started to pinch Natsu's cheek. "Hm? Oh. I guess you wouldn't know, right? Natsu was raised by a dragon."

"…Huh?"

"A dragon."

"…Is that a kind of wizard rank that I don't know of?" Lucy was trying very hard to rationalize what she was hearing.

"No, it's a kind of giant, fire-breathing lizard." Mirajane promptly informed her that there was no rationalizing this.

Lucy turned to Natsu, in hopes of finding some sort of clarification.

"His name is Igneel!"

No clarification found.

"Oh."

Natsu pouted. "Why _wouldn't_ he be in Hargeon, though?"

xxxxxxx

For the next while, Natsu dragged Lucy along to each (intact) table, introducing her to every guild member individually while Mirajane passed around mugs of ale with a goofy smile on her face.

"Nice to meet you, Lucy. My name is Elfman."

Lucy stared dumbly at the frankly _massive _limb extended for her to shake. The man was almost eye-level with her, and he was still sitting down!

"Yeah… nice to meet you…" despite his gargantuan frame, his grip was pleasantly gentle.

Elfman, while built like a shit brick house, dressed smart. His white hair was cropped close to the head, and while it was stretched to its limit, the turtleneck he wore suited him well. Lucy could see his pleated pants and loafers under the table.

"Elfman's Mira and Lisanna's brother," offered Natsu.

"What, really!?" if it weren't for the white hair, it would be impossible to know that girls as cute as Mirajane and Lisanna were related to someone like Elfman.

That wasn't to discredit Elfman's looks or anything, but really… look at him!

Lucy almost screamed when her hand was taken and kissed by someone without notice. "Hello, my sweet. My name is Loke, but you can call me 'darling' if you prefer."

The blonde punted the offending newcomer in the face, sending him hurtling back. "No _way_!"

Natsu whistled as he watched the perv of a man crash through one of the beer barrels Mira had brought up. Alcohol spilled on the already-done-for hardwood.

"Lucy's already fitting in!" chimed Happy.

Lucy's eyes bulged. "AH! I DIDN'T MEAN TO DO THAT!"

Before further panic could set in, the soon-to-be guildmember felt a weight at her feet.

"Nooooo!" cried the brown-haired woman griping at her ankles pathetically. "I was gonna drink that!"

The blonde sweatdropped. _All of it?_

"This is Cana!" introduced Natsu, paying no mind to said girl's current state.

"Oh! Here, here!" a cat-looking girl waved excitedly at them as she dragged a dark-skinned boy along with her. "I'm Millianna!"

"And I'm Sho," he provided.

Lucy grinned. "It's nice to meet you both."

They seemed normal enough.

"You're pretty! Are you going to mate with Na-chan and have his babies?"

She spoke too soon.

"**Millianna**," Mira-san's scary voice was heard from wherever she was in the guildhall. "**Who is it that's having babies?**"

"No one!" yelled Sho in a panic.

"Okay!" was the white-haired woman's happy-go-lucky reply.

She made a mistake. She just threw herself into the loony bin, didn't she?

Lucy froze.

No that wasn't right. Everyone in the guild froze. Wakaba dropped his mug, Cana dropped her barrel, and a few people just flat out _dropped_.

There was an intense magical presence in the air; it was so potent that many were finding it hard to even breathe properly.

**"One hour." **Announced a disembodied voice.

"Shit, it's the master," whispered one guildmember.

"We're dead," muttered another under his breath.

The new girl panicked. The Guild Master sounded terrifying! What kind of monster was he?

**"I was only gone for one, measly hour," **it continued. The shadow of what could only be a giant walked through the guild's doors.

Lucy thought she was going to piss herself. Was she going to die?

**"And yet, you **morons still managed to trash the place! Do you like to see me suffer? Are you all sadists?" As he spoke, the giant slowly shrunk until it was nothing more than a short old man.

"I'm sorry, master," sniveled a teary-eyed Mirajane. "I tried to stop them, but…"

_You deceitful witch! _Thought everyone.

The old man's arm ballooned and smacked the woman on top of her head.

"Owie!"

"I know it was you, idiot! Lisanna told me everything."

"Tch." Mira grimaced to the side. "What a snitch."

"Ignoring that _for now,_" stressed the Guild Master as he jumped on a bent barstool next to the hopeful recruit, "you're Lucy, right?"

"Err, yeah…"

The old man glanced at her chest for an instant. "You pass. Welcome to Fairy Tail."

_Passed what, _you creep!

"Yay! Welcome to the family!" cheered Mirajane, who now sported a bump on top of her head. "Where would you like your guild mark?"

Ignoring all of the crazy stuff that happened to her since she walked in through the front door, Lucy couldn't be happier. She did it! She joined Fairy Tail!"

"Right here!" Lucy presented the back of her right hand.

That day, Lucy Heartifila became a Guild Wizard.


	6. Don't be sad, it's just ice

(A/N): I'll say right off the bat, the tone of this chapter won't necessarily reflect the tone of the _rest _of the story. However, this one allows us to delve a little deeper into what's up with everyone and why some things are different. _Admittedly, _it may raise more questions than it quells, but it's a necessary chapter nonetheless.

Without further ado (besides a promise that the ball will be rolling properly as of the next chapter), I present you with chapter four. A little shorter than others, but this one wasn't meant to cover too much ground in the first place.

xxxxxxx

A young, black-haired man walked at a steady pace along the beaten dirt path. There was a certain swagger to his step, as he walked slouched with his hands hanging loosely from his pockets.

He yawned. Stopping to stretch his arms, he peered into the distance to try and see if he could spot his destination.

"I'm back, finally."

Just noticeably, the man could make out the silhouette of a tall structure. Kardia Cathedral was always the first thing that a Fairy Tail mage would see when coming home.

"…I really hope I don't have to deal with shite-for-brains first thing in the morning."

xxxxxxx

Sitting at the guild's bar with her head planted firmly in her palm, Lucy stared at her new guild mark with starry eyes.

"It's _real_! I'm part of _Fairy Tail_~ Hehe!"

Sitting to her left was Natsu, who probably wasn't paying much attention to her babbling. He was much more interested in picking all the meat off the bone he was gnawing on. To her left was the cat-girl –Millianna, if she remembered correctly– making small talk with Mirajane from across the counter.

This had almost become a routine for the spirit mage, over the last few days. Since finding herself a place to stay, she'd spend morning and evening either getting to know her fellow guildmates or simply ogling the back of her hand over a hot meal prepared by Mira.

"Hey, Lucy," the pinkette snapped her out of her daydream, his words muffled by the chicken carcass. "Aren't you gonna go on a job, or something?"

"Eh?"

Overhearing them, Millianna butted into the conversation. "Now that you mention it… No one properly explained to you how taking requests at the guild works, right Lucy?"

"Uhm, no, I don't think so," the blonde acknowledged. "Is there some sort of special procedure for that?"

Natsu finally took the bone out of his mouth. "Well, if you go to the job board–"

"If you go visit that job board over there," answered Mira, pointing at the bulletin board near the guild's entrance, "you'll find all kinds of quest listings. From the ones the guild puts up, you can take whichever job you want! Just make sure to check in with me or Lisanna first, though, since most quests are posted in multiple places across Fiore. We don't want to step on another guild's feet, you know?"

In a way, Lucy admired how the woman could phrase that so sweetly while blatantly talking over someone else.

Millianna gave her two cents. "Actually, for your first time, you should totally partner up with someone so they can show you the ropes! I'd offer to go with you, but I'm already heading out later today. Sorry!"

Lucy dismissed her apology with a wave of her hand– she absentmindedly followed the movement of her pink guild mark with her eyes. _So cool! _" Don't worry about it. What do you say, Natsu? Do you want–

SMACK

"Stupid old man!"

All heads in the guild turned to see an angry blue-haired child standing in front of the Master, who was now crouched over in pain. "Ha… good arm, kid," he muttered.

"WHY! Why won't you go look for him!?"

It only took a moment for Makarov to straighten himself– one would be hard-pressed to believe that he'd been knocked ass-over-teakettle only a moment before. "Your pops is a Fairy Tail wizard, kid; he's been doing stuff like this since before you were born. Why don't you grab yourself a cup of cocoa and go wait for him at home?"

For his kind words, Makarov was gifted a kick between the legs.

"You suck!"

The kid ran out the door with his gaze lowered to the ground.

"…What was that about?" Lucy broke the silence.

"That's Romeo. Remember Macao? That's his son," answered Mirajane solemnly.

In response, the blonde remarked, "Now that you mention it, I haven't seen him since the day I joined the guild.

Millianna crossed her arms. "That's the problem. He took a job the other day –nothing that should be a problem for a mage of his caliber– but he still hasn't come back. I'm sure that his family is really worried about him."

"That's…terrible."

Natsu jumped off the stool, grunting in satisfaction as he stretched his back.

"…Natsu?"

"Don't worry," he patted the new recruit on the shoulder before moving towards the exit. "I won't be long; just gotta make sure that Macao didn't go get lost or somethin'."

A proverbial lightbulb turned on in Mirajane's head. "Hey, Lucy, why don't you go with him? Since you need experience, going on a quest with someone like Natsu would be a great opportunity!"

"No."

Mira looked at the Master in surprise, then her expression quickly dimmed. "Sorry. Never mind, Lucy, I almost forgot."

Lucy was caught off guard by the Guild Master's sudden denial. "Forgot what?"

It was Millianna that answered her. "No one who doesn't have Master's explicit permission is allowed to go on quests with Natsu."

"Eh? Wait, really? But that's…"

"Don't worry!" Natsu's easygoing tone of voice made it evident that he didn't really care. He was already one foot out the door. "I'll be back before you know it, anyway! Se you all soon!"

"N-Natsu! Wait up!" jittered Happy. The cat, who was playing cards with some guild members at one of the tables, let the hand fall from his paws as he chased after the fire mage.

Lucy's jaw flapped about uselessly.

"You okay, Lucy? Asked Millianna.

"Yeah…" she trailed off. "What was it you were saying about Natsu taking people on quests?"

She didn't know the details, obviously, but it was quite alarming that such a famous mage couldn't take jobs with _fellow guild members. _

"Ah, well…" trailed off the cat-girl.

From where he sat, Makarov let out an audible sigh.

"It's not the boy's fault. I won't stop him from doing his job, and Happy can keep him in check –for the most part, at least. But if he ever blows his gasket, I don't want another one of my children to be stuck in the middle of it."

"That won't happen," asserted Mirajane in what was the most serious voice the blonde had ever heard her use.

Master Makarov didn't bother correcting her; if it really _didn't _happen, then that would be a favourable outcome.

Instead, we walked to where Cana was seated and took a large gulp of her beer. "You shouldn't be drinking at this hour."

"Hey!"

No one paid any mind to her indignant squawk.

The old man brushed away the droplets caught in his mustache and tried to relish the tingling of his rosy cheeks. It was so early, and yet he could already tell that today wasn't going to be a good day.

"Uh, Master?" asked Lucy timidly, "Would Natsu really hurt his friends if he gets mad?"

"No, never."

The spirit mage noted how quick he was to affirm that.

"…But when he loses his temper, he gets destructive. That's why it's either he goes with someone that can handle him, or on his own, and keep anyone else out of the problems he causes."

"So it's fine to leave Happy to–"

SLAM

Lucy jumped as the guild doors were flung open so hard that they smacked against the wall on either side.

"Yo."

A man she'd never seen before pranced in like he owned the place. His expression was cocky, but his eyes were calm and self-assured. A spiky mop of thick black hair danced back and forth over his brow.

Usually, Lucy would say that someone like him is totally her type, but…

"Put some clothes on, _pervert_!"

"Wha– _again!?" _The man, naked as the day he was born, held back a whine while dashing behind the bar for cover. For some reason, Mirajane wasn't too worried that there was a sexual deviant in such close proximity to her.

A moment later, the mystery pervert came back into open view. He was now wearing a pair of pants.

"There. Much better."

_Where did you get the pants!? _Lucy wanted to yell.

"So, who're you?" he addressed her suddenly. "I've never seen you around here before."

Mirajane noticed that things were starting to get out of hand. Patting the man on the shoulder –which made him jump, for some reason– she introduced him. "Lucy, this is Gray. Of the younger people in the guild, he's been here the longest next to Cana."

_Is there a single normal human being in this place!?_

…Still. If he was a guildmember, then she should probably try to move past the whole "streaking" thing. "Hi, I'm Lucy! I just joined a few days ago."

"A new member? It's nice to meet you, then. I hope you'll like it here." He shot her a perfectly normal, friendly smile and gave his hand to her for a perfectly normal, friendly handshake.

His pants were at his ankles.

Cana called him out. "Gray, your clothes."

"…"

"…"

He pulled his pants back up.

For the sake of her own mental health, the blonde chose not to comment.

Millianna clapped her hands together. "Oh, I know! You're not planning on taking another big quest anytime soon, right, Gray?"

"No why?"

"Lucy, here," she slapped the new member lightly on the back, "still hasn't taken a job with the guild, so would you mind showing her how it's done?"

"Ehhhh?" interjected Lucy, "I have to go with someone like him?"

"Oi."

Surprisingly, it was Cana that came to his defense. "You know, even if he's a stripping weirdo–"

_"Oi."_

"–Gray's still one of the strongest members of Fairy Tail."

"Hold on. Really?"

"Yep!" chirped the shameless alcoholic. "He's one of our very own S-class mages."

"That's…" Lucy couldn't help but think the term was familiar.

Noticing her pause, Mira offered, "Wizards are given a rank to give clients a ballpark of how strong they are. The ranks are lettered, 'A' being the highest rank. For example, people like Natsu and Lisanna are A-class mages."

Lucy figured. _Salamander _was a name known far and wide, and she saw what Lisanna could do first hand. "What's S-class, then?"

"S-class is a special ranking that exists beyond the scope of the others. S-class mages are the strongest around, and you need to meet very specific criteria to be considered as one."

The spirit mage's eyes widened. "So Gray is even stronger than _Salamander_? How come I've never heard of him?"

"Well, most people call me Ice Troll," Gray said. "The name's kinda lame, but…"

"_No way!_" Lucy almost screamed. "You're a super famous wizard, too? I've read in magazines that you're always taking really difficult quests all by yourself. That's incredible!"

He scratched his cheek in embarrassment. "Well…"

It was Cana that knocked him off his high horse. "Don't go getting full of yourself, now. Just last week, I found you–"

"_Shut up!_" In order to avoid whatever topic Cana was trying to bring up, Gray grabbed Lucy by the arm and rushed to the job board.

"You said you wanted to go on a quest, right? I'll take you."

Once the two were far enough away from the bar, Cana grinned.

"Ha! Mission: dump-new-girl-on-someone-else-so-that-I-don't-have-to-go-take-a-job-first-thing-in-the-morning was a success!"

Both Mira and Millianna deadpanned. "You're terrible."

They were promptly ignored, as Cana skipped jovially towards the cellar to grab some more booze.

xxxxxxx

The sun was starting to set in the sky before Natsu and Happy, and the beaten-up man they had in tow had Magnolia in their sights. Macao had seen better days, but he'd be fine with a little rest.

"…Hey. Natsu." Mumbled the blue-haired man.

"Hm?"

"Thanks."

Natsu smiled tiredly while Happy patted the man on the side of the head. "Don't worry about it, old man. Besides, you're not allowed to kick the bucket yet! Romeo's waiting for you to come home."

"Yeah." He smiled.

Macao almost tripped when Natsu, who was holding him up by the shoulder, stopped moving.

"…Oh no." Muttered Happy in a defeated voice.

It seemed like Gray and Lucy got back from a mission at the same time as them.

"…"

"…"

Neither mage said a word.

Macao was sweating, Happy was inching himself towards the town and Lucy was looking pretty lost.

That's been her thing recently.

"Yo." Eventually, it was Gray who stopped the awkward staring contest first. Natsu took that as his cue to relent as well.

"You're back from that mission, huh?"

"Just got back this morning."

"Guess I missed you on my way out, then."

"Yeah."

"…"

"…"

"We shouldn't stand here forever, right!?" shouted Happy, all of a sudden. "Let's go back to the guild!"

"You're right," agreed the pink-haired man. "We still need to let Romeo know that we found his dad."

Gray simply nodded.

The blue cat felt his legs wobble from beneath him.

This was bad. Really, really bad.

And so, the strange situation seemingly behind them, the troupe made their way back to the Fairy Tail guildhall.

xxxxxxx

Lucy had been scratching her head trying to figure out the dynamics between her new peers all day. But this?

This took the cake.

Despite the rocky introduction, the quest with Gray went pretty well, and she liked to think that they got along. He kept stripping randomly, sure, but beyond that, he was mature, attentive, and presented himself professionally when he needed to– compared to his fellow guildmates, that is.

It was a really simple job, which would be expected considering it was her first. All they did was go to the next town over to help Sorcerer Weekly with promotional photoshoots– there were a bunch of other wizards there too, so they were probably just trying to figure out which magic matched their ad campaign the best. During the whole event, Gray showed her how to deal with the client and how accepting payment worked.

…She was getting off track! That wasn't the point.

The _point _was that –after almost a full day of things being normal– everything went right back to being weird. The second they met up with Natsu, there was an indescribable –almost tangible– feeling in the air that the two men would try to maim each other without a second's notice.

"Pssst. Happy," she whispered into the blue cat's ear. They were hanging behind the three men as they continued to traverse Magnolia. "Why are those two like… _that_?"

His initial silence told her that he knew exactly what she was talking about.

"…No one really knows," answered the magical feline in an equally soft voice. "Even if they were always rivals for the longest time, they got along pretty okay. But one day they just… didn't. Now, they try to spend as little time around each other as possible."

Lucy clenched her fist. She didn't like that there were big issues amongst her new friends before she even got the chance to properly meet everyone.

She then remembered, "Hey… Mira-san told me that Gray is actually an S-class mage. Do you think they have a tough time getting along because Natsu feels like he can't keep up?"

Happy tilted his head. "What do you mean? Gray hasn't ever beaten Natsu in a fight before."

"Eh?" was all she could say. Lucy hadn't ever really seen Gray _fight_, but she'd just seen his magic earlier that day. It was beautiful. It was potent. It was controlled.

It was masterful.

Was Natsu's fire magic even better than that?

"There's… a lot of reasons why Natsu isn't an S-class mage. Power isn't one of them."

"I… see."

"_Hey. Ice bastard. _Ya care to repeat that?"

The pair of cat and woman spun their heads back to the front, where they saw a frowning Natsu grabbing a stone-faced Gray by the arm.

"We were so close…" breathed Happy pathetically.

xxxxxxx

Natsu couldn't really say that he was having a good day.

It all started when Gramps so kindly reminded him that he wasn't allowed to take quests with any of his friends that weren't experienced enough. This was something that he'd come to accept, sure, but it still _sucked _that the new girl was forced to stay behind after maybe wanting to go with him.

He could deal with that, though. He would make sure everyone knew that he was smiling; that he was in good spirits, and nothing would change that, ever!

…That obviously wasn't true.

Getting _used _to something, _accepting _it, didn't mean that you _wanted _it. Though there wasn't really anyone to blame for that, other than himself.

He thought that pulling Macao out of whatever crack he got his ass stuck in would give him the chance to forget all of that, but it wasn't the case. The man had apparently been ambushed by a mountain Vulcan, and so he was stuck having to get the monster's **Take Over **out of his system.

Unfortunately for the both of them, the only way he could do that was to beat the ever-loving shit out of his fellow guildmember.

If he were someone like –say– Levy, he'd be able to get rid of the monster's magic without hurting anyone. He _wasn't _like Levy though, and all that he could do was punch things; he wasn't smart at all.

He was stupid. He'll _always _be stupid.

Seeing Macao bruised and bloodied in the end just made it worse for him. The man didn't make it better when he _thanked _him for the help, despite the condition he put him in.

Of course, it only made sense that this shitty day would get even shittier when _he _showed up.

"…So you took Lucy on her first quest."

He didn't know how to talk to Gray. He hadn't been able to since _that _happened. Still, their mutual… dislike for each other would have to be at least _muted _until they got back to the guild. It would be even _more _awkward to walk the rest of the way in silence, and he didn't want to give Lucy the impression that there was bad blood between members of the guild she just became a part of.

The _family _she just became a part of.

"…Yeah," was the black-haired man's non-committal response.

The jackass just couldn't make things easy for _once, _now could he?

He took a sneaking glance at Macao, who was still using his shoulder as support. Couldn't he help him out? …No, he was completely spent. Asking him to intervene between Gray and himself was tall enough of an order on a _good _day.

"You guys went to a magazine photoshoot, right? That's a nice and easy way to get started as a guild mage. I've never been to one, but Mira seems to think they're pretty neat."

"Mhm."

Natsu's eye twitched. Gray could at least _pretend _that this wasn't as unbearable as it actually was. The pinkette pulled at whatever neurons he could gather to come up with some sort of small talk. "Actually, Mira was saying that she wanted to take me, one of these days. My magic isn't good for much, but she said that the magazine thought it'd be cool if–"

"Take _you _to a public event? I didn't think Mira was that stupid."

"Oi" was Macao's soft-spoken rebuttal. He obviously noticed that the ice mage was trying to start a fight.

And he was succeeding. Aw, darn.

As an almost detached observation, Natsu noted that it took a laughably small amount of time for his temper to jump straight to "heated". The largest part of him argued that it was simply because Gray was using Mira to get under his skin –and it was really shitty of him to do that– but a small, self-conscious part of him chided that he really _would_ get upset over nothing at the drop of a hat.

"_Hey. Ice bastard. _Ya care to repeat that?"

He grabbed the other man's arm and stopped moving altogether. Part of it was to grab his attention, but the rest of it was so he could take a moment to calm himself.

He refused to snap _now_. And definitely not because of Gray, of all people.

"What's wrong, matchstick?" Gray egged him on, despite Happy having interfered and trying to separate them with his too-short paws. "Is that all it took to set you off? I'm surprised you lasted this long, to be honest."

"You…" Natsu wanted to say more, but it was already taking all of his energy to not do anything that he'd regret.

"_Enough!_"

Both men nearly jumped at the sudden scream. With wide eyes, they turned to face a huffing Lucy, who's shoulders were so tense they looked like they were about to pop her neck off. "Both of you! You're guildmates, right? You're supposed to be _friends_! Fighting like this is just… wrong! Unless you've run out of bad stuff to say, I don't want to hear even a _peep_ from either one of you until we get back to the guild! This is just so _disappointing_."

While Gray, Happy, and Macao were stuck staring at the girl who's attitude seemingly did a one-eighty. Natsu could only muster the energy to keep a straight face.

_Yeah, Lucy. I know._

He couldn't show up at the guild like this.

"Hey, Lucy, Gray. Sorry, but I just remembered I had to do something. Can you help Macao get home?"

Before they could answer, he leaned the older man on Gray's shoulder.

The three's stares trailed on Natsu's back as he took off with Happy on his tail.

xxxxxxx

The group now consisting of a girl, a boy, and an older man didn't move until the pink-haired mage and his cat were out of sight.

"What the hell was that!" shouted Lucy eventually, pointing at Gray.

"Me?" he asked dumbly.

"Obviously! What got into you? You were so professional all day– for the most part, at least– but the second Natsu showed up you turned into a completely different person. I don't know _either _of you well enough to comment on your relationship, but that's no way to talk to someone you work with. Not to mention, it was rude of you to talk about Mira-san that way, just to make him angry."

"…I know," he acknowledged. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought Mira into this."

She noticed that he didn't have anything to say about the _rest _of his behaviour, but she'd let it go for now.

Macao was still trying to absorb the fact that this Lucy was the same one from earlier. Where did the other "her" go?

"For now though," diverted the black-haired man, "let's hurry to Macao's place. We still need to let everyone at the guild know how you did on your first job."

Lucy blushed. "Oh! Erm, yeah."

Ah. There she is.

xxxxxxx

The last fleck of sunlight shone with great resilience through the Fairy Tail guild hall's windows, painting everything a dim orange.

There weren't many people left in the building at this hour, but that wasn't anything new. Some had already gone home, calling it a day, others were far from the city on overnight quests, and a few simply had other plans for the evening.

Of those that remained, the only one that had any intention of staying much longer was the guild's part-time barmaid.

Mirajane Strauss frowned at her reflection in the glass mug she had just hand dried. The woman couldn't help but think back to the events that took place earlier in the day, notably when she suggested that Natsu take Lucy on the quest.

Her grip on the mug tightened. What a terrible moment that was for her mind to slip. Because of her, Master was forced to put Natsu down in front of the whole guild, which probably made Lucy jump to conclusions about the dragon-slayer before she could get to know him properly.

"Hey, sis."

Mira snapped out of her thoughts to look at the one who called out to her. It was her little sister.

She tried to greet the younger Strauss cheerfully. "Lisanna. Welcome back."

Ouch. A _dead fish_ could have put more energy into that.

Lisanna's tired-yet-satisfied smile flipped into a worried frown. There wasn't much that could get Mira in a bad mood– or rather, _sad_. _Most _of her moods were usually _bad_ for _everyone else_. "I get back from a _six-hour _meeting at Mermaid Heel and _that's _all I get? Honestly, Mira-nee. What's wrong?"

"Sorry, sorry," the older one laughed under her breath. "It really is nothing. I just said something unnecessary earlier, and I guess I'm just a little annoyed with myself."

Lisanna sat at the bar and took the older woman's hand in her own. "Tell me."

That's what sisters are for, after all.

"You know, sometimes it escapes my mind that 'it' happened. That first S-class mission," admitted Mirajane. "I don't know if it's just because I don't _want _to remember it or _what_, but… anyway. Earlier, I told Lucy that Natsu would be able to show her the ropes on her first quest. Master overheard us, so in front of everyone, he–"

"I get it," interrupted Lisanna. Because of 'that time', Master Makarov had to be heavy-handed when it came to Natsu ever since. The old man didn't like it –no one did– but… "I'm sorry that happened."

"Me too."

"I'm sure Natsu doesn't hold it against you, though."

"…Of course, he doesn't." Mira chuckled. "I should know that better than anyone, at this point. He isn't like that."

SLAM

"Yo," announced a new voice from the entrance.

The two redirected their gaze to Gray, who was being followed by a visibly horrified Lucy.

The guild's doors were in splinters on the floor.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Oh. I kicked the door too hard. Sorry."

"Ah! Don't kick doors, idiot!" screamed a panicking Lucy.

"Welcome back, Gray," said Lisanna with a resigned smile.

"You're fixing that," said Mira with a… smile.

"So, how did it go?" Lisanna asked the two newcomers before her sister could do something unfortunate.

"It went well," answered Gray. "Lucy's a natural."

The blonde blushed but held her frown. "Yeah. It was fine until you ran into Natsu."

"Hn!?" Gray strangled a shout in his mouth. He wasn't expecting to be called out.

"_What_." Lisanna's response didn't quite come out as a question.

Gray sweated and tried to avoid her glare.

Mirajane was focused on something else, however. "Natsu? Did he say whether he found Macao or not?"

"Yeah, actually," responded Fairy Tail's newest mage, "He suddenly took off with Happy after Gray pissed him off, but he left Macao with us– he's fine, by the way, if a little tousled. We just dropped him off at home. His family was happy to see him in one piece."

The eldest Strauss put her finger on her chin. It was strange… Natsu would have usually come to the guild after something like this.

She checked the time.

"It's late."

"Uh… yeah?" Gray agreed. He didn't understand the change in subject, but if it would stop the two from prying into his little spat with the lizard-brain, he would roll with it.

"…Lucy," the woman questioned the blonde directly, "did Natsu say why he left?"

"No, but the second he looked like he was going to get into a fight with Gray, he cooled off instantly and told us to look after Macao. It was… pretty strange, actually. To me, Natsu always seemed like the type of person that would _want _to start fights, not _end _them."

Gray was white as a sheet. He really hoped that Lucy didn't overhear what he told the guy.

"So he was trying hard to keep it together, then." Lisanna exchanged a look with her sister.

Mira walked back to the bar. From underneath the counter, she took out what looked like a plate bundled in a colourful, checkered cloth. "Lisanna, could you close up shop for me? Sorry to put it on you, but I don't think Natsu's going to be coming for dinner today. I'll have to take it to him."

"That's fine," was her answer. It came just as quickly as it was asked.

Once she was gone, Lucy questioned the **Animal Soul **user, "Did she already have that food ready for him?"

To her surprise, it was the ice mage that answered. "Mira _always _has meals ready for Natsu. The woman practically makes him breakfast, lunch, and dinner almost every day. If you ask me, I think she should stop wasting her time and let the dumbass starve."

"Gray!" reprimanded Lisanna, for all the good _that _did.

The youngest Strauss did her best to answer the blonde properly.

"Don't tell Mira-nee that I said this, but… I'm fairly certain that the only reason she works as the barmaid is so that she can make sure that he's eating properly– and because she likes it when he compliments her food; she makes it a point of being the one to make most of what he eats. It's very unusual for him to skip meals, so she's checking in on him right now."

"I get it… that's… kind of cute, actually."

Lisanna laughed.

"Urk!"

The white-haired girl's hand came out and pulled down on Gray's ear. Using her newly-found leverage, she dragged him back.

"Good job on your first job, Lucy. We're all proud of you. Why don't go head on home to get some rest? I'll need to spend some time reminding Gray why he shouldn't be _instigating conflicts_."

The venom that slowly dripped into her voice made Gray whimper.

xxxxxxx

Mirajane stood outside of Natsu and Happy's house with a frown planted firmly on her face. She had tried knocking a few times, but no one was answering.

"..."

So he wasn't home then.

She didn't even consider that he could be ignoring her. Natsu's dumb, but he couldn't be dumb enough to think that he could get away with _that_.

"Where could they be…"

The woman paced in a circle on the fire mage's front doorstep, all while muttering nonsense to herself. If she were Natsu, she'd be…

"Oh, Natsu. You're always making things difficult for me, aren't you?" she complained without a hint of seriousness.

She adjusted her grip on the wrapped plate and made her way through the nearby forest.

xxxxxxx

Despite wanting to say something to cheer up his friend, Happy knew that the best thing to do was to keep his mouth shut. All Natsu really needed was someone to keep him company.

The two sat by the side of a river, fishing poles in hand. What they were trying to accomplish, neither knew, but Happy figured this was more about relaxing than catching fish.

Though he _definitely _wouldn't mind if they caught some fish.

Though it was now dark out, Happy had no problems seeing the dejected look on the man's face.

"I'm sorry for making you come all the way out here, Happy. I won't be here for much longer, so you should go back and get some sleep."

"I'll go back when you do."

"…"

He didn't say anything after that, but the magical cat had a feeling the words were appreciated.

Both were nearly started when the sound of feet stepping on grass snuck up behind them.

"It's not nice to let people go looking for you, you know."

"M-mira," was all that Natsu could say.

She must have come straight from the guild. Her bangs were still tied up and she still wore the barmaid uniform.

Mirajane gently placed a bundle on his lap. "I brought you dinner."

"…Thanks, Mira. You really didn't need to come all the way out here though."

"Of course I did." She sounded offended. "When's the last time that I've let you fend for yourself? Do you not like my food or something?"

"No!" he was quick to deny. "Your food is the best! Really, it is. It's just that…"

Natsu looked up at the sky. It really _was _pitch black now. "It's late. You should be at home with Lisanna and Elfman, not out in the middle of the forest chasing down someone who didn't come for dinner."

Something about what he said seemed to anger her. "Well, I wouldn't have to, if you stopped being an idiot." Really! If he just listened to what she said, everyone would be happy.

Instead of agreeing with her the way she hoped, the dragon slayer moved the plate aside and brought his knees up to his chin. "I know I'm an idiot, okay? I nothing but a stupid–"

The words were caught in his throat when Mira sat down on the ground next to him and hugged him tightly.

It was different from her usual hugs. Most of the time, Natsu found himself smothered in her chest– usually in an attempt to either torment him physically or make someone else uncomfortable. Right now, she was being oddly gentle, leaning his head against the crook of her neck with one hand and wrapping her other around his waist.

They sat in silence for a moment.

"Happy," she said eventually, "I'll take care of Natsu from here. Why don't you head on back?"

The blue cat, who had been observing until now, tried to plead his case for staying with his friend. "But–"

"Go."

"Aye, sir."

He was unsuccessful.

Once the feline scurried off, it was just the two of them sitting by the river.

"Tell me what's wrong, Natsu," she urged.

"I guess… I just noticed today how unreliable I am."

"…" she didn't say anything.

"I mean," he continued, "whenever I get angry, I screw something up! Did you know that I almost got in a fight with Gray today? In the middle of the street? It was practically over nothing, too. Lucy said that we were embarrassing, and she was _right_. How can _anyone _think I'm trustworthy if I can't even keep it together in front of our new guildmate?"

It was painfully obvious how the day's events had affected him. It was less the altercations themselves and more the fact that they were piled right on top of the other, from the moment that morning when _she screwed up._

Mirajane let him go. "Okay. I get it."

"Get wha– OOomf!?"

In the time it took Natsu to turn his head in her direction, the woman had already gotten to her feet and driven a kick deep into his side. He was sent crashing into a tree further from the clearing.

"W-what the hell… Mira…"

"This is why you're an idiot, you idiot!"

"Wha…"

She walked up to him and tapped his downed body with her foot. "What kind of bullshit is this? After everything you've told _me _over the years? _Man_, do you _ever_ know how to piss a girl off."

He couldn't say anything to that. He just groaned.

The white-haired woman took a moment to stare at him in his pathetic state, then sighed. "Sorry. I just had to snap you outta… whatever that was supposed to be."

Once again, she sat next to him. Only this time she wasn't hugging him as much as she was patting him on the head. "You have a real _mean_ temper Natsu, and when you don't have it under control, it can bite _anyone _in the ass. But the thing is, _you're _anything but. You're kind, have a big heart, and you wear your emotions on your sleeve for the world to see. Nothing can take that away from you."

"…What happens if 'that' ever happens again, then?"

"It won't."

"You don't _know _that."

"…If it does," she relented, "then I'll be here for you. Just like you've been there for me."

"Thanks, Mira."

"…"

Somehow, she felt as if she wasn't able to completely get him out of his funk. "Say, Natsu."

"Hm?"

"Why don't you go on a mission with Lucy tomorrow? You can show her that you're someone that she can rely on."

His eyes scrunched. "Mira… come on. That's mean, even for you."

Quite forcefully, Mirajane took Natsu's head and dropped it on her lap. She started to run her hands through his pink, spiky hair. "Shut up, that's not what I meant. You just can't go on your own, is all."

"There aren't that many people who're allowed to go on quests with me, you know." More than sad, he was starting to sound a little bitter.

"I'm one of them, aren't I?"

Mirajane would've found it funny in any other circumstance how quickly his expression switched to wide-eyed and hopeful. As it stood, however, she could only be relieved.

"You're not messing with me, right Mira?"

Mirajane Strauss was a strong mage. She _is _a strong mage. The dilemma was that ever since 'then', she'd never let him take her on a quest. Not him, not Elfman, not Lisanna, not even Erza. She'd much rather work at the guildhall, but when she _did _go on a quest…

She went alone.

That had hurt him. It hurt _all _of them, but they understood completely where she was coming from.

For her to say this now? Natsu wouldn't be exaggerating by much if he said that it meant the world to him.

"Of course, I'm not," she answered as if his skepticism was entirely unfounded. "We'll grab her first thing tomorrow and we'll take whichever job we want."

_"See this, guys? I'm an S-class mage now! We'll take whichever job we want!"_

Natsu turned his head around and buried it into her abdomen, wrapping his arms around her as tightly as he could.

She huffed. "Hey, now. Don't go around suddenly–"

She felt something wet where his face was buried.

A light dusting of pink crossed her cheeks. "Well, I, uh… never mind."

In Natsu's head, a spark of hope emerged. Hope that things would start going back to the way they were before.


	7. It's about a book, kind of

(A/N) Huh? A story update two days in a row? I surprise even myself, at times. No joke though, I give all my thanks to reading week, even if I can't make any promises of further productivity. I still have to study and write my reports, after all.

Now, this chapter is shorter than the others, but it's kept short and sweet largely because I couldn't see myself dragging it out any longer than this. I said what needed to be said, did what needed to be done and _how _it needed to be done, and everything else will fall into place as it will.

Oh. And sorry for not updating this in... how long has it been?

Yeah, no. This isn't dropped. Just have a lot of things to juggle, including other stories.

Anyway, please enjoy.

xxxxxxx

Lucy narrowed her eyes at Natsu suspiciously. From the moment he'd walked into the guild that morning, he'd been… hyper? Excited?

Well, whatever it was, it was _weird._ Considering the terrible mood he was in the other day, she couldn't believe that he'd actually been able to flip his attitude on a dime like that.

"You okay, Natsu?" she had to ask.

"Hm? Yeah, why?"

"Well, I mean…" she couldn't just outright say it, could she? "You didn't seem very 'okay' yesterday."

Oops. She said it anyway.

His grin told her that he didn't take it too badly. "Don't worry about it. Mira cheered me up."

Lucy's inner romantic conjured some sort of wild fantasy, likely involving Natsu, Mirajane, a bed and a lot of "cheering up". Her cheeks reddened.

_Oh my._

"How so?" she managed to squeak out. Mira-san and Natsu _did _seem pretty close. Could it be possible that they really…

Instead of answering, the pink-haired man turned his smile to the fiery-tempered barmaid behind the counter.

Lucy saw a dusting of pink on her ears. The woman spoke. "Guess I'll just say it, huh?"

_Ohmygoshohmygoshohmy–_

"I told Natsu that we'd go on a quest together. Would you like to come with us, Lucy?"

…_Eh?_

That wasn't really what she was expecting.

"Is… that okay?" asked Lucy. She couldn't help but remember Master Makarov's words. "I'd love to go on a quest with you both, really, but didn't Master say that Natsu…"

She trailed off with a wince once she noticed Natsu's smile dim a little. It wasn't really a frown, but it was still noticeable.

Seemingly impassive, Mirajane retained her usual pretty smile. Then again, Lucy had seen the woman smiling the same way when holding Happy hostage in exchange for Natsu's repentance.

"It's fine. I may not look it, but I'm one of the few that Master trusts to go on missions with Natsu and keep the peace. If I go, then you can come too– if you want, that is."

"…" She turned her head to see Natsu's expectant expression.

…How could she say no if he looked at her like _that_? She'd feel guilty, damnit!

"Sure!"

Natsu had apparently planned out everything ahead of time, since a quest listing was already placed on the countertop in front of her. His smile was back to full power.

She picked up the parchment and read it over. "…Two hundred thousand jewels? To get a book?" that sounded like an inflated reward– not that she was complaining.

"To _steal _a book!" corrected Natsu. "We gotta be like ninjas!"

"Nin-nin!" chimed Happy from across the guild hall, where he was playing some sort of board game with Lisanna.

"Nin-nin!" parroted Natsu excitedly. He wrapped his scarf around his face and threw around strange hand signs.

"Nin-nin," Mira joined, but it sounded more like she was making fun of them.

"Is that something we're allowed to do? Isn't theft illegal?" Lucy was still skeptical.

"_Technically _it's a request to _return _a book. So it's more like we're stealing it back?" tried to reason the dragon slayer.

"Besides, what's the problem? It's easy enough, and we get paid well!" added Mirajane.

…Lucy was starting to think that Mira was more of an enabler than someone meant to keep Natsu in check.

"…"

The blonde dropped her head in defeat. "Fine. What's the plan?"

Natsu and Mira exchanged gleaming looks.

xxxxxxx

Lucy did _not _like the plan. In fact, she _hated _it, and everything it stood for.

She'd been had, damnit!

Taking deep breaths, she tried to calm herself. Admittedly, the plan made sense.

The **celestial spirit **mage waited patiently near the edge of Magnolia for the other two to show up. They had agreed to meet up after an hour since Mirajane said that she had to change out of her barmaid clothes.

Three familiar figures approached. Good, it looks like Natsu and Happy came… with…

"Mira?"

Mira didn't look like Mira. It _was _Mira, but–

The blonde shook her head. The shock of seeing the two-faced-but-sweet woman dressed like _that _didn't compute.

The white-haired mage's hair was let loose. Her bangs, under the noon sun, cast ominous shadows over her eyes while her wavy locks hung behind her as if they had a mind of their own. The cute dress that Lucy had become accustomed to seeing was replaced by a full-sleeved black leotard that bared her white guild mark to the world. The woman wore black leather high-heels that came up so high on her leg that they nearly reached said mark.

"What's wrong, Lucy?" asked Natsu in a concerned tone. Did he not see how _different _Mira looked? Her appearance _almost_ fits her personality now!

Lucy pretended he didn't speak. Instead, she kept babbling while pointing at the woman at his side. "Mira, you…?

The white-haired woman understood, it would seem. She giggled with a dainty hand up to cover her lips.

Lucy idly noted that it was the _gentle and cute _part of the woman that seemed out of place now.

"Don't think about it too hard, Lucy," she said. "It's how I usually dress when I'm not working the bar."

"Really?"

"Yep!" came the chipper reply. Mirajane puffed out her chest proudly and stuck both hands on her hips. "This is my so-called 'gap moe'. Pretty good right? I'm proud of it."

_Is that something you can really just come out and say? _Lucy wanted to shout. _And it's not gap moe if you're actually just as scary as your outfit!_

"Why are you acting so weird?" Natsu asked the blonde.

…That's right. Natsu was probably used to seeing her this way, so it wasn't much of a surprise to him. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

"Speaking of outfits…" Mira has a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "I've brought yours!"

Lucy looked like she swallowed something sour. "Yay…"

Folded in Mirajane's arms was a French maid costume. She refused to call it a dress because it looked too ridiculous for it to be something that a normal human being would wear on purpose.

"Isn't it cute?" the she-demon egged her on. "I like to wear it myself, sometimes."

…Lucy stood by what she said.

"Do you remember the plan?" the said she-demon asked.

"Yep," grumbled the blonde in a flat tone. "Apply for the maid job at the mansion in Shirotsume Town, get the pervy duke to hire me, and scope the place out when he isn't paying attention."

"Your womanly charms! Don't forget to use your womanly charms!" faux-shouted Mira while cupping her chest suggestively.

…They were making fun of her, weren't they?

"…"

Despite her suspicions, the three were straight-faced. Could she just be imagining things?

"Pfft." Happy cracked and flung his head to the side.

Lucy's brow twitched violently.

xxxxxxx

Despite the obvious harassment from her peers, Lucy still found herself standing in front of "Duke Everlue's" mansion a short few hours later, dressed head-to-toe in the _stupid, ugly–_

"Can I help you?" came the voice of a funny-looking man at the door. From the way he was dressed, the Fairy Tail mage could only assume he was the duke.

"Yes~" she chirped. With a singsong voice and a hand on her hip, she fired her shot, "I heard you were looking for a maid?"

He took a moment to look her over. "Get outta here, ugly."

He shut the door in her face.

Lucy was left standing there, hand still on her hip, and confidence shattered.

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

Behind a bush a little ways out, Natsu and Mira were watching the whole affair. Despite the distance between them, Lucy could still hear the white-haired woman's howls of laughter.

Lucy fell to her knees in despair.

"There, there." Happy flew over and patted her on the back. "It's okay, Lucy. Not everyone can be pretty."

Still on the ground, the blonde clotheslined the flying feline and sent him crashing face-first into the dirt.

Natsu came over next. "Sorry about that Lucy, we weren't trying to mess with you or anything. While Everlue was distracted, Happy flew around the perimeter to scope things out; he only needed a moment. After we talk with the guy who put up the job, we'll come back with a better idea of how we want to do things."

The despaired mage blinked. "That's… surprisingly well thought out, Natsu."

The pink-haired man pouted, while his little blue friend didn't miss a beat. "Obviously Natsu didn't come up with it. It was Mira's idea."

In less than an instant, all the annoyance she felt towards the part-time barmaid was replaced with awe. She thought it all through, all the way to not telling her the plan so that she would be more convincing when she approached Duke Everlue. No wonder she was trusted with Natsu; she had a good head on her shoulders.

"Sorry, Mira. I was upset because I thought you were teasing me for fun."

The woman gave her a bright, ear-splitting grin. It was an expression that was as forgiving as it was understanding.

"Pfft."

Then she ruined the moment by doubling over and continuing to laugh her guts out.

"You all suck."

xxxxxxx

The foursome didn't need long to find their destination, as their client's abode was in no way easy to miss.

Mirajane whistled. "Nice place, I'd say."

The blonde nodded. "No wonder they're willing to cough up so much for a book. They must be _loaded_!"

The house wasn't so much a house as it was a mansion. Its size was nearly comparable to Everlue's.

Natsu and Happy were already knocking at the door.

"Hello?"

"Excuse me!"

"Heeeeey!"

"We're heeeeere!"

"Let us iiiiiiiiin!"

Mira pulled them away from the knocker before their idiocy caused any problems.

A man swung the door open, a furious scowl on his face. "Who's–"

He took a good look a the group– or their guild marks, rather. His expression switched from annoyed to relieved.

"You're mages," he deduced. "Please, come in."

The Fairy Tail wizards were greeted by the man's wife, who directed them to their dining room table.

Once they were all seated, the man clasped his hands in front of him. "Allow us to introduce ourselves properly. I'm Kaby Melon, and this is my beautiful wife, Ella. I thank you all for accepting our request."

"It's no problem!" answered Mira. "To be clear, our objective remains the same as what was stated in the posting?"

The man and his wife looked nervous.

"Well…"

Their silence was telling. Mirajane's smile dropped right into a frown, and even Natsu and Happy seemed more reserved than usual.

Though Lucy didn't react as openly as they did, she understood their misgivings with how things were going. If a job description changed, then that meant there were complications. Complications meant danger.

Kaby seemed to notice their discomfort and was quick to add, "Nothing outlandish, I promise. I simply ask that you destroy the book rather than retrieve it."

His words did well to assuage the worries of the mages.

"That's all, then?" asked Natsu. "Two hundred thousand is a lot of money."

"You haven't heard?" Ella brought a fist up to her chin. "We've raised the reward. It's two _million _now."

Lucy looked like she had to pick her jaw up off the ground. Natsu's eyes did a good job of imitating Happy's, and even the unflappable Mira was caught speechless.

"That will be enough, I hope?" asked Kaby.

The four nodded dumbly.

xxxxxxx

"What's the plan now, Mira-san?" asked Lucy once they regrouped in front of Everlue's mansion.

The white-haired woman looked at her strangely. "Eh? What plan?"

Natsu agreed. "Yeah, why do we need a plan? If we don't need the book, let's just burn down the whole building."

Happy scratched his ear. "Isn't Everlue still going to be inside, though?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Won't he die?"

"Oh. Good point."

Lucy grew pale. She was starting to understand why Natsu wasn't allowed to drag random people into his quests. _Keep your felonies to yourself, idiot!_

"Alright, maybe we _do _need a plan," amended Mirajane. It was good to hear that she didn't take Natsu's moments of insanity _too _casually. "Lucy, you and I will sneak in while Natsu keeps everyone busy."

That sounded swell and all, but, "Does Natsu really need to cause a commotion? Wouldn't it be better for everyone if we came and left without anyone being the wiser?"

"In a perfect world, yes," agreed the impromptu head of their operation. She pinched Natsu's cheeks and held on despite his protests. "The problem is that Natsu can't be stealthy to save his life. There's no point in trying."

"Hey!" yelled the man indignantly. "I can _so_!"

"Aw," the she-devil wiggled his pinched cheek. "It's adorable that you think that."

The pink-haired mage grumbled but did little else. "I'll get going then."

He stomped off to the front gate, acting more like a petulant child than someone about to commit several crimes.

Mirajane grabbed her blonde companion by the arm. "That's our queue! Let's go."

xxxxxxx

The two Fairy Tail mages took little time to make their way through the library window. Thankfully, there wasn't anyone waiting to intercept them.

"Wow! What a collection!" exclaimed the novel enthusiast. She picked the first book she found off the shelf but eyed everything that caught her attention with equal fervour. "The duke might be a complete sleazeball, but there's no denying he has good taste in literature."

"That's assuming he actually reads them," joked Mirajane. "Anyway, let's move quickly. We might be able to get things done before Natsu drops the roof on us."

Lucy's laugh was a little forced. Perhaps she hoped that was the woman's attempt at humour.

CRASH

The building shook, causing countless books to topple off the shelves.

Mira frowned. "Natsu has engaged the target. We have to hurry."

Lucy nodded somberly. This wasn't the time to ogle books! They had to–

"Hm?"

The blonde picked up an unassuming tome, its only distinguishing feature that it visibly was not a published release.

Across the front, printed in faded letters was the word _'Daybreak'_.

"Mira! I found it!"

The woman took no time at all to run to her side. A tiny fire spell was lit at her fingertips. "Good, let's–"

"Wait!"

"Hm?"

Lucy, in a panic, held the book to her chest protectively. As she extended the book away from her to give to Mirajane, she caught the name of the author.

Kemu Zaleon.

"This was written by one of my favourite authors! I haven't read this before, so first, at least let me–"

"I'm sorry, Lucy," Mira cut her off with a shake of the head, already knowing what she was about to ask. "We don't have the time. Let's burn it before–"

"Before what?"

Both of their heads snapped to the library entrance, where stood the Duke Everlue with a mighty frown on his face. "I'm not _stupid_. I could tell immediately that you were a mage when you showed up at my doorstep. Did you really think I wouldn't be prepared for a break-in? I have the best in the business keeping your _pal _busy downstairs."

Despite herself, Lucy felt hope bubbling within her. "So you didn't hire me because you knew what we were going to do?"

"No, I didn't hire you because you're ugly."

Lucy whimpered.

"Anyhow, I'm nothing if not a benevolent man. Surrender yourselves now and I promise your punishment won't be _too– ah!"_

The surprise high-kick from Mira would have almost certainly hit him square in the face were it not intercepted by a large, gorilla-like maid.

"Tch," scowled the Fairy Tail mage. She ripped her foot out of the gorilla-woman's grip, spinning around with the intent driving it into her opponent's temple.

As large as she was, the maid wasn't able to stay on her feet. Her body was launched through the wall and fell out of sight in the room across the hall.

"Virgo!" yelled the Duke, panic bubbling beneath his skin. What kind of magic was that? Some sort of enhanced strength spell?

Unfortunately for him, his thoughts were cut short. A punch in the gut had him joining his maid in the other room.

The blonde **Celestial Spirit **mage watched her partner run a beat-down on her opponents without breaking a sweat

…She obviously wouldn't be needed here, right?

Feeling only a _little _guilty, Lucy pulled out her **Gale-force **reading glasses. They would allow her to read the book from start to finish in almost no time at all.

Her eyes widened. "This… Mira!"

"Hm?" the said woman turned to face her and frowned upon seeing the book open in her hands. "Lucy, why haven't you destroyed the book yet?"

"We can't! Mr. Kaby _needs _to see this!"

Mirajane held her tongue. If Lucy felt so strongly about it then they could talk about it later. For now, though…

"Cough… ahck… damn it all!" cursed Everlue, being held steady by his maid. Despite the blow to the head, she seemed fresh as a rose.

"Virgo, get rid of them!"

"Yes, Master."

Being given her order, the large maid darted towards the Fairy Tail mages at speeds that shouldn't be possible for someone of her size without the assistance of magic.

Lucy held out one of her golden gate keys in front of her, determination clear in her eyes. She would stop this woman!

Unfortunately, she didn't get the chance.

It was only for a split second, but Mira _changed_. It almost looked like... what could have been _horns_ flashed above her head before disappearing. At that moment, her arm was a blur of movement that slammed her opponent through the floor and likely through the floor below as well.

Everlue's jaw hung open uselessly for an instant, but he quickly recollected himself in order to express his anger. Magical energy gathered around him. "You bastards! I'll–"

He crumpled onto the floor in a heap.

"You guys done yet?" asked an impatient Natsu, standing behind the unconscious Duke with his hand still held up before him. He'd knocked the man out cold.

"Yep!" chirped a suddenly-cheery Mirajane. "Lucy said we couldn't destroy the book though."

The blonde nodded. "It'll be easier to show you."

xxxxxxx

Kaby stared at the book placed in his hands with a complicated expression. His wife looked at him sadly.

"This… I…"

Upon their return, the man had been angry that they hadn't destroyed the damn thing as he'd asked. The young lass had asked him to reconsider, _begged _him to listen, but he wouldn't.

The book had already caused his family too much pain.

Instead, he'd tried to destroy it then and there.

But then _it _happened.

The garbage two-bit story written by his father literally unraveled itself to reveal a heartfelt letter dedicated to him, explaining everything the man ever wanted to tell him but couldn't. If it weren't for the Fairy Tail mages, he would have never known Zekua Melon's truth.

He couldn't be any more grateful to them. He crumbled into his wife's arms in tears.

xxxxxxx

"Was it really alright not to take the money?" grumbled Lucy. She was really looking forward to having it easy with rent this month.

"Of course. The request was to terminate the book, but all we managed to do was retrieve it," answered Natsu in a rare moment of maturity. "Besides, I doubt they actually had the money anyway."

"Lucy," spoke Mirajane firmly. "Why didn't you destroy the book when I told you to?"

The blonde felt uncomfortable and ashamed, not used to being reprimanded. It was obvious that the older woman wasn't too happy about losing out on two million. "I… couldn't, you know? Kaby asked us to get rid of that book, but it just didn't feel right. There was so much about the whole situation that didn't make sense– that didn't feel right, and I–"

"–Made the right decision," finished Mira, surprising the younger girl. "If it weren't for you, Kaby Melon would have never had his closure, and his father's message would never have been received. Were I in your stead, that book would have been done for the second I got my hands on it. Apparently, there's still a lot I need to learn as a mage, so thank you."

Lucy blushed a bright red, not expecting the compliment. It's not like she actually thought it all the way through like that, either. "No, I…"

"Keke!" laughed Natsu as Happy played with a shiny new trinket behind him. "We all had a super fun adventure, then. Didn't we?"

"Actually, where were you two the whole time we were fighting Everlue?" asked Fairy Tail's newest member.

"Hm? I was dealing with his lackeys. They weren't all that strong, but there were a _lot _of 'em! Sorry for taking so long to get to ya."

Happy, while distracted, still gave his two cents. "They were super squishy!"

Lucy sweatdropped.

"…This is still a problem, though," said Mira without any context. Her companions looked to her, waiting for some sort of elaboration.

"We didn't get paid. When's rent due for you, Lucy?"

All at once, her previous concerns returned with a vengeance. "Gah! What should I do!?"

Mira laughed at the flailing girl, then gave Natsu a pointed look. One that he picked up on immediately. "I wouldn't mind tagging along for another quest if you'd like."

Lucy was facing away from Natsu, so she didn't see his gigawatt smile.

"Sure!" she said simply. "If you'd have me."

Though not everything went as planned, the Fairy Tail mages could at the very least say that things went well.

xxxxxxx

Within the obliterated front halls of the Everlue mansion, a certain group of mercenaries laid broken, spread out on the floor. Their lives were intact, but not their wills.

They had encountered something that could only be described as a nightmare.

It was unforgiving. It didn't hit, it destroyed. It didn't counter, it made you wish you never crossed it, to begin with.

It was terrifying.

They refused to believe that _it _called itself a mage.

If anything, it was more of a demon.


	8. Chasing a flute

(A/N) And here we go, the first arc that actually matters.

Well, the first part of it at least.

On a side note, this story hasn't been doing as well as I expected it to. That's not to say it's being discontinued, cuz I'm absolutely writing this for the sole reason that I want to, but I'd love to hear your feedback on what you like about the story or what you feel might have otherwise turned you away. Part of my asking is due to wanting to write the most enjoyable story I can and the rest is because I'm an unashamed attention whore.

Regardless, I do hope you enjoy the chapter.

xxxxxxx

A beautiful red-haired woman sat cross-legged, a cocktail in one hand and a fork twirled in the other. An appetizing desert was placed in front of her, though her attention was paid elsewhere.

"You doing alright there, lassie?" asked the rough-looking bartender in what was more likely an attempt to woo her than an actual curiosity towards the wellbeing of her person. It wasn't common that such a seemingly pure woman stepped foot in his establishment.

In fact, she clashed horribly with the environment.

Where the other patrons were fourty-year-old grimy men playing darts with beers in hand, the lady sat prim and proper in her white blouse, enjoying an aperitif at her own pace.

"Hm? I'm fine, thank you," she answered politely. Despite her reply, however, she made no effort to give him her attention.

She was still eavesdropping, after all.

"So what does Erigor want you to do with that thing, anyway? I heard him call it a 'demon flute' or something, but what can one little musical instrument do?" another man asked his companion, making no effort to be subtle whatsoever.

"No clue," answered the said companion simply, idly tossing around a funny-looking flute. "It was a major pain in the ass to get, though, so I really hope it's important."

"I'll bet it is," assured the other. "If we're supposed to meet up with _those _guys, then this is serious business… Say, Kageyama, do you really think this is a good idea? The ones we're teaming up with are dangerous."

The man with the flute scoffed. "And Eisenwald isn't?"

"You know what I mean."

"Tch. Yeah… But what do you want _me _to do about it? If our ace says we're working with them, then I'm not about to argue."

A grunt. "Let's just go. It would be bad to keep them waiting."

The pair got up from their seats and left abruptly.

Her distractions now gone, the red-haired woman took her time finishing the rest of her strawberry cheesecake.

A few minutes later, she placed a few jewels on the bar and left as well. Her gait was unhurried as if she hadn't anywhere to be. Once outside, she picked up the luggage that she couldn't bring in with her.

Everyone in the immediate vicinity stopped to stare at her, and whatever image she had garnered as a "prim and proper" woman had been quickly discarded.

With nary a grunt of exertion, the six-meter-long monster horn was picked up off the ground in front of the saloon's property and hoisted onto her shoulder. She carried it as easily as one would a handbag.

In the same instant, her outfit glowed with magical energy. One at a time, the articles were replaced by matching pieces or armor.

"Eisenwald is next, then."

xxxxxxx

Natsu yawned, face in hand as he watched Elfman and Lisanna play some sort of card game with Mirajane from across the counter. Happy was mimicking his boredom, though not successfully as his mind lusted after the juicy fish that Mira had put in the oven for him.

"When's the Master supposed to be back again? I was planning on heading out," Natsu spoke to no one in particular.

"I don't know. A few days, maybe?" answered Elfman without looking up from his hand. "I can't remember if the council meeting was supposed to be today or tomorrow."

"Today," corrected Lisanna as she picked up another card from the deck.

Lucy, who sat on the other side of Natsu, raised her hand as if she were in a classroom. "Sorry, but what's this 'council meeting' thing, anyway? I heard you guys talk about it all day, but I haven't caught on yet."

Mirajane jumped on the opportunity, throwing her cards messily onto the playing field. Ignoring the indignant cries of her siblings, she took out a strange marker from under the counter.

"You see, Lucy, wizard guilds aren't technically independent entities. They operate under the Magic Council, who in turn organizes monthly meetings between Guild Masters in each province in order to receive regular updates on the status of each respective guild." As she spoke, she drew out a branch diagram in midair to help Lucy visualize what she was saying. "During this time, the master leaves it entirely up to either Lisanna or myself to run things around here. That includes managing job flow and generally keeping everyone out of trouble."

"Yeah, except that _I _can't take any jobs without the old man saying so. I'm pretty much stuck here until he gets back," added Natsu with a pout. It really sucked to have such a tight leash, sometimes.

"Where do you want to go, anyway?" inquired Lucy. "You don't really seem like the type of guy to chase after money."

"I'm looking for a book," he responded easily.

"A… book?" she parroted.

"Yeah."

"Like, with pages and words and stuff?"

He shrugged, which only served to confuse her further.

"Don't worry about turbo-tard here," butted in Gray, who took the empty seat beside her. "He's always on the hunt for one thing or another, so you won't be seeing him around too often anyway."

"Yeah," agreed Loke as he joined the conversation. "You and I can–"

He took a pointed glance at the gate keys attached to her hip and turned around.

"N-never mind!" he stuttered, walking away.

Lucy blinked. That was weird.

"They do have the right idea, as stupid as they are," stated Mira without a shred of remorse. "You're still new, so you should definitely join a team regularly for missions. Gray's got nothing better to do most of the time, so he's probably the guy to go with."

"Hey!" shouted the S-class wizard. "You make it sound like I'm some sort of bum!"

Lisanna smirked. "Why, do you have prior commitments?"

He tisked, but didn't start an argument. "I guess there's no problem if she tags along until she gets used to how things work."

"Atta boy," encouraged Elfman as he slapped the smaller man on the back.

Lucy didn't look too sure. "Is that really okay? I mean, you're an S-class mage, right? Doesn't that mean you have important duties to take care of or something?"

Natsu gave her a thumbs up. "Normally you'd be right, but we actually got a bunch of strong members! If Gray suddenly kicked the bucket one day, no one would know or care, 'cuz Fairy Tail has a _lot _of S-class mages to pick up the slack."

Gray narrowed his eyes dangerously. "You startin' a–"

Cana smacked him over the head as she walked by to get to the cellar. "Down, boy."

Lucy looked around. "Like who?" she asked, choosing to ignore the short-lived spat.

Mirajane's eyes widened. "Come to think of it, Gray and I are the only S-class mages you've met so far, right? The others are all on missions, but you'll be seeing them eventually. Erza's coming back soon, so you'll probably get the chance to meet her properly first."

Natsu smiled. "Is she? I can't wait!"

"She's his childhood friend," offered Lisanna for context.

Lucy tried to picture what the childhood friend of someone like Natsu would be like and had to hold back a laugh. "Really?"

Gray, ever the instigator, had to add, "She puts up with him, more like."

Natsu narrowed his eyes but didn't say anything.

"Okay~" chimed Lisanna as she physically pushed the two men away from each other. "Why don't you two get out of here and cool your heads.

Neither argued and took off in two opposite directions

"Hn. See ya."

"Later, guys!"

Despite having to be forcefully separated, they both acted as if they left of their own volition.

Once she felt they were far enough, Lucy grumbled, "They were really taking shots at each other, huh? I almost prefer the awkward silence."

Mirajane smiled sadly. "No, I would say that them arguing is a good sign. It means they can stomach talking to each other, at the very least."

The blonde frowned. "Happy, you said no one knows why they don't get along, right?"

It was Elfman who answered her with a forlorn look, "Not exactly. We can't say for sure, but we all have a pretty good idea of what started it."

_xxxxxxx_

_A much younger Natsu and Gray looked on nervously from the sidelines as Erza and Mira started a brawl right on top of the table they were eating at._

_Again. _

_"Your opinion doesn't mean shit, tin-can! I'm S-class now, and you. Are. Not."_

_"Grr…" growled the redhead through gritted teeth. "Like that matters any! You took Natsu as your partner for the trials, so that doesn't count!"_

_The white-haired girl's lips turned upwards. "Oh? Jealous you didn't think of it first?"_

_"I did, you bitch! Then you blackmailed him, saying that you'd starve him for a month if he didn't team up with you!"_

_The she-devil tapped her finger against her chin. "I did, didn't I? I guess I should make it up to him."_

_They all looked at her as she walked up the stairs to the top floor with her head held high. Taking less than a moment, she grabbed a listing from the exclusive job board and jumped off the rails to land in front of the jittery pink-haired boy._

_Holding the S-class job out in front of her, she asked, "Wanna come and hunt a super-powerful monster with me? It'll make us a lot of money, too!"_

_Natsu's eyes sparkled but he looked away. "Is that… really okay for us to take?"_

_She grinned. "Of course it is!"_

_She jumped onto the table with her arms outstretched. __"See this guys? I'm an S-class mage now! We'll take whichever job we want!"_

_Mirajane said it with great pride. Her words were just as self-assertive as they were boastful._

_Makarov was quick to burst her bubble. "Not so fast, young lady. You may have passed the test, but quests of that sort still need to be approved by me. If you want to go, then you must take two more strong guildmembers with you."_

_Annoyance flashed across the newly-christened S-class mage's face. If she didn't want any of the adults to rain on her parade, then…_

_She glared heatedly at a smirking Erza._

_The white-haired girl crossed her arms. "Fine! Erza, Gray, you two are coming with us."_

_Gray jumped. "Wha– Hold on! I never said–"_

_He was ignored. A smug Erza dragged him along by the waist of his shorts._

_He'd lost his shirt, apparently._

_After saying farewell to their friends, the four were off with excited chatter and cheer._

_From his seat at the bar, Macao looked to the Guild Master wearily. "Are you sure they'll be fine?"_

_Makarov waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry about them, lad. The monster isn't anything they won't be able to handle. Erza is about as strong as young Mira herself, and Gray is growing into quite the competent wizard. That's all without mentioning that Natsu's tagging along, too."_

_The middle-aged man sighed. "I suppose. I just have a bad feeling."_

_xxxxxxx_

_The Fairy Tail guild hall was dead silent as four bodies entered. It had been a little over a week since the group left on their quest, though their appearance made it seem as if they hadn't seen civilization in months._

_Erza trembled. Her head was kept down and she wouldn't let go of her arm._

_Mirajane was quiet. That alone said the most. Her every movement was subdued, and she did little else than stare ahead._

_Natsu walked behind them, almost as if he were afraid of being too close to the others._

_Gray's hands were clenched tightly into fists. There was a mix of fear and anger in his eyes as he wouldn't let them stray from Natsu._

_There was nothing but worry directed their way. The other kids wanted nothing more than to run up to them and ask if everything was okay, but they knew that was a stupid question. Even a certain blond-haired boy couldn't properly hide his feelings._

_The older guild members were in the same boat. Few of them had ever been on such a dangerous mission, so they could only assume the worst._

_Makarov was the first to act. He ushered them into his office. Nothing was heard from them for the rest of the evening._

_xxxxxxx_

"They've hated each other's guts ever since, but I guess it's more of a one-sided thing. I don't think Natsu actually hates Gray," finished Elfman.

The blonde girl bit her lower lip. "Mira-san, why–"

The woman in question immediately turned away. It was an obvious refusal on her part to divulge any information.

Lisanna shook her head. "It's no use. None of them have ever talked about it since. The only person that knows is Master Makarov, and Natsu's still in the dog house as a result."

"Wha– but that must have been _years _ago!" exclaimed the **celestial spirit **mage. "Is that why he isn't allowed to be an S-class wizard?"

"You're pretty forgetful, aren't you Lucy?" stated Happy innocently. "Didn't I tell you? Being strong isn't enough. Natsu may be one of the strongest wizards in the country, but he has a habit of making bad situations worse. If Master made him an S-class, then disaster would follow him into the worst places possible."

"It's not his fault, Lucy. You _have _to understand that. As long as he has someone looking out for him, everything is fine," stressed Mirajane in a seldom-heard serious tone.

"Aye, sir!" added the one who looked out for the man the most.

Lucy thought back to her encounters with the pink-haired mage. He was blunt, and a little silly sometimes, but… he was kind, if nothing else.

"Mhm!" she nodded with a tiny smile. She would take their word for it, though she didn't quite understand the full scope of what they were saying.

The front doors burst open.

"She's back!" yelled a frantic Loke. "Erza's back! Quick, we gotta fix–"

"Fix _what_, Loke?" asked an imposing figure from behind.

In an instant, the whole guild was a flurry of motion. Happy hid his fish under his stool, Cana and Sho dumped their poker chips off the table, Millianna and Levy crumpled up the erotic magazines they were looking through, Wakaba stuffed his pipe into his coat pocket, and everyone generally tried to seem like they were having the least fun possible.

The newcomer stood still in the middle of the hall with a humongous monster horn held easily in hand. He or she was dressed in a full-body suit of armor that must have weighed a ton. It was an intricate thing reminiscent of some sort of dragon, what with the scaled plates and horned helmet.

Arms crossed, the newcomer spoke, "Where's Natsu?"

The man in question ran up to the scary person with a huge smile on his face. He wrapped his arms around the suit of armour in what was probably supposed to be a hug.

"Erza! I'm glad to see you!"

Lucy, shocked, turned to Lisanna. "_That's _Natsu's childhood friend?"

"Hey, tin-can!" yelled an unusually agitated Mirajane, "Show some manners and take off the mini-fortress when you're indoors!"

A flash of light enveloped Erza's body, the brightness forcing Lucy to look away. When she could see again, what she saw was–

Eh?

There was no longer an imposing set of armor in Natsu's arms. In its place stood a gorgeous red-haired woman dressed in a charming white blouse and a matching blue skirt. She blushed and pushed Natsu away.

She coughed. "My apologies, I should have changed before coming in. Moving on, what are you doing right now, Natsu? This is important."

The fire mage was confused. "Me? Waiting for the old man to get back, I guess."

The redhead frowned. "Unfortunate. I would have gone by myself if I knew that you couldn't come."

Natsu tilted his head. "What? You're gonna need to explain that one a little better."

He was ignored.

"Gray!" she yelled, getting the attention of the black-haired man on the other side of the room.

"Yeah?"

"Are you busy?"

"Well, I was thinking that I should take some jobs with our new guildmember."

"Excellent. We're leaving in an hour. Be at the station by three, and not a minute later," she demanded, completely ignoring what he was about to say.

He sweatdropped. "Oi."

Pleased with herself, the woman nodded. She made her way to the bar and sat right in front of a scowling Mirajane. "Cake, please."

The usually ever-smiling barmaid flipped Erza the finger, causing Lucy to gasp.

"Bite me."

Despite her harsh words, she still went into the kitchen and came back with a slice of strawberry cake.

"Natsu. Sit."

Despite the authoritarian way Erza had phrased it, Natsu sat down next to her easily as if she had asked him to do so amicably. "What's up?"

"Have you ever heard of Eisenwald's Erigor?"

"Maybe. Is it a type of food?"

"No."

"Then no."

"He's the ace of a dark guild," she explained. "I overheard some Eisenwald members in a bar talking about his plot to use something they called 'a demon flute'."

Natsu grimaced. "You don't think..."

"It's always a possibility. I should also mention that they appear to be working with an unknown third party."

Mirajane, who overheard them speak, knew what had to be done. She brought out a communications Lacrima.

xxxxxxx

Makarov Dreyar sat back in his chair with a dopey grin on his face, relishing the buzz from his third pint of beer. "Say, Bob, have I told you about our new guild member? You wouldn't believe the rack on this girl!"

Bob, a bald crossdressing man, snickered into his hand. "Oh, Macky~ You perv!"

Another man wearing shades and a spike-covered witch hat frowned. "You should really be mindful about what you say, you know."

The three of them gathered around a single table in the large banquet hall. All around them, distinguished wizards –other guild masters– kept to their own social circles despite the event serving as a means for them to network and keep the Magic Council up to date on their current state of operation.

Guilds may have been run by the kingdom, but only a fool would think that any of the Masters took their rank on the totem pole that seriously. Even the representative sent by the council knew this, as he waited out the whole event without bothering to interfere.

Things worked just fine as they were, most would say.

Though not much reporting was being done, it didn't mean that no information was being exchanged at all. At the current instance, three friends who happened to be among the most respected mages in Fiore took the opportunity to share current happenings within their guild.

Master Bob, of Blue Pegasus.

Master Goldmine, of Cuatro Cerberus.

Master Makarov, of Fairy Tail.

The council representative approached their table, forcing them to sober up. The representative, a strange anthropomorphic amphibian, placed a Lacrima at the center of their table.

"For Makarov Dreyar," was all he said before leaving.

Makarov raised an eyebrow. "Hm?"

The three Masters looked at the communications Lacrima, seeing the serious expression of Fairy Tail's own Mirajane Strauss.

Her Guild Master was slow to match her tone.

"See? See?" he pointed at her unashamedly. "Isn't Mira just a darling? We get her all to ourselves, you know!"

_"Master,"_ she interrupted. _"This is serious."_

The stupid look on his face disappeared in an instant. "One would think, considering that you're calling me at a meeting instead of sending a letter. What's wrong?"

_"Erza thinks something big is going on with a dark guild. She needs Natsu to go with her."_

Silence.

"Natsu?"

_"Yes."_

"Erza needs _Natsu_?" he clarified a second time.

_"Yes, Master."_

His face grew pale. "How urgent would this happen to be?"

_"Erza wants to leave within the hour."_

He gulped.

The sheer destructive power between the two of them was enough to make him wet his pants. It was one thing when he let the boy go on a quest with Mira –it was a simple little thing, after all– but if Erza of all people was saying that she _needed _him to take care of something as serious as a dark guild?

Things could get messy.

He sighed. "I trust the girl's judgment. Tell them I give my consent as long as they promise to exercise caution."

He needed to believe that the girl would be enough to take Natsu's reins if needed.

_"Excellent! I'll tell them. I'm sure Erza will feel a lot better knowing that she'll have both Gray and Natsu as support."_

The connection cut.

The man processed what she had said.

He turned white as a sheet, and his lips sunk into his face.

Oh no.

"I might have made a mistake," whimpered Makarov, dropping his head into his hands.

"My, my," commented Bob nervously.

Goldmine kept his mouth shut, momentarily forgetting how to speak.

The Ice Troll, Gray Fullbuster. An ice specialist with magic so powerful that it can drop temperatures to below what a human being can withstand.

The Titania, Erza Scarlet. A **Requip **mage said to have mastered every weapon known to man.

The Salamander, Natsu Dragneel. A user of one of the most powerful **Lost Magics **ever recorded.

Their unfortunate Guild Master may have unwittingly formed one of the strongest and most destructive wizard teams in Fiore.

xxxxxxx

Natsu's eye twitched once he and an armour-clad Erza made it to the station. So _that's _what he was forgetting.

Gray stared back at him with equal frustration. "Shouldn't you be back at the guild, flame-brain?"

"Why is he still coming?" whispered Natsu to the redhead.

She completely ignored their whining. "There's been a change of plans! Master has consented to Natsu coming with us."

The **Ice Make **mage scratched the back of his head. "… You _don't _need us here, then?"

Natsu noticed that Lucy was with Gray. "Lucy's tagging along too?"

The older woman sighed and rubbed her temples, though with her armour it looked more like she was trying to polish her helmet with her hands. "Gray is coming because I asked him to. Lucy is coming because this is a good learning experience for beginners. Natsu is coming because the Master said he could. Is that understood?"

All three gave dull nods. Even Lucy was starting to understand there was no arguing with this hard-headed lady.

The train didn't take much longer to arrive. Once they took their seats, Gray immediately asked, "What are we doing, anyway?"

Nothing could be seen through the helmet, but the redhead stilled in a way that implied she had realized that she completely forgot to tell them. She coughed, then took out a map from her carry-on luggage. "Alright. This is the guildhall that we're raiding."

Lucy looked like she swallowed a lemon. What part of this seemed like it would be a good learning experience!?


	9. Cloaks

(A/N) Before anything else, I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to review the last chapter. A lot of what was said was super constructive, and has been taken into great consideration. Y'all are great.

So here we are! Chapter 1 of the Eisenwald Arc. Also known as the arc that we're probably all tired of seeing over and over again lmao. Don't worry though. Because of all the stuff going on in the background during the time skip (hush hush for now), I would be hard-pressed to force things to go down the same way as canon.

In fact, a _lot _of what's coming up in the following arc will progress differently.

A big example of that shows up this chapter. Some of you may have picked up on the hints that alluded to this being a thing, and _why _it's happening in the first place.

I promise this isn't me pulling shit outta my ass. On the storyboard, there's only about 1 line written that's actually going to show up in the story for every _2 lines_ that go over all the changes that come up as a result of the premise. It's already a chore to tone down how confusing things will get considering how much I can't straight up say in black and white.

But that's just me rambling.

On a side note, I promise that my shameless pussyfooting around Natsu's current strength won't go on for much longer. Probably.

As usual, please enjoy the chapter, and feel free to let me know what you think.

xxxxxxx

"Speak."

The figure, cloaked in the shadows of the dimly lit room, turned away from the messenger. It didn't move beyond that, but it was clear that the figure was expecting some sort of response.

The messenger gulped. While the figure's body language wasn't overly aggressive, that could change at the drop of a hat.

"The Fairy Tail woman has taken Natsu Dragneel with her to hunt the dark guild."

"…"

The figure grinned. It was a sick, twisted thing; inhuman in every sense of the word. "Did she, now? How _grand_. While our plant did well to keep that lowly worm 'chatty', I was afraid that the _youngling's _silly human hang-ups would work against us."

"Would you like for us to intervene?"

The figure walked deeper into the darkness, now completely obscured from view. "No. For now, just follow along with whatever those 'Eisenwald' wizards are scheming. Only make a move if the opportunity presents itself."

The messenger bowed. "Of course."

xxxxxxx

"Urghhhh…"

Lucy sweatdropped. "…Are you alright, Natsu?"

"Ug… gah…"

"He says he wants someone to put him out of his misery!" translated Happy chipperly.

Natsu curled in on himself on Erza's lap. The woman patted his head pityingly. "Sorry. I'd put you to rest if I could."

The blonde went white as a sheet.

"She means _actually_ helping him fall asleep. As in knocking him out," offered Gray in a bored tone. He kept his gaze fixed to the window.

A gulp. "Wouldn't that… hurt?"

"It's okay," reassured Erza with a nod. Her helmet was placed to the side, so her accompanying smile was in plain view. "He can take it."

Her words weren't as reassuring as she made them out to be.

"…Can he really?" muttered Lucy incredulously. These people were something else.

Erza only took the question at face value. "Hn. Unfortunately, the train might break if I hit him that hard."

"…"

"Hm?"

"The… train…?" Mumbled the rookie mage.

"I beg your pardon? You'll have to speak up."

Lucy buried her face in her hands.

"Erza," Gray called her out impatiently. "Are you going to explain why we're here or not? I _really _hope you have a good reason for bringing me with…"

Gray's nose crinkled. He turned away from the window for a split second to glance at the pinkette spitefully.

"What's wrong, Gray? We're all friends here. We can all get along, can't we?"

Her tone betrayed her flowery words. She matched his glare, daring him to speak up.

Gray exploded, unwittingly leaning out of his seat. "Don't fuck with me! How long are you going to keep pretending–"

"Stop!"

There was a short silence that followed Happy's intervention.

No one spoke and tension was high. It only dropped back down to bearable levels when Gray sat down.

Happy let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding. Crisis successfully averted.

Gray huffed. He whipped his head back to the side.

The redhead sighed. "I apologise. It was _naïve _of me to think the two of you could put this behind you for _one mission_. And _you _Lucy… I'm sorry if we came off as unprofessional."

"Oh! Um… yeah." How was she supposed to respond to that? Things got really intense…

"But to answer your question, Gray…"

Erza put her helmet back on. It was an intimidating thing, sporting what could have been ram horns were they not twice the size. The visor was a metal trap, revealing nothing of her expression save for her hardened eyes shining through a simple slit.

All in all, there was very little that revealed that the one wearing the suit was a beautiful woman. The sheer size of her faulds, cuisses and pauldrons made for a hulking silhouette. It was only the feminine shape of the breastplate that gave her away.

She was ready to talk business.

"We're going after Eisenwald, a dark guild, though there's nothing outstanding about them that I can think to mention. What concerns me is the object in their possession."

Erza looked down. Natsu had finally passed out. "It's a 'demon flute', as the dark mage I overheard called it."

"A 'demon flute'? It _could_ just be a fancy name," tried to reason the accompanying blonde. Demons didn't actually exist, did they?

Gray rose from his slouch. His back straightened, his hands with a firm grip on his lap. "We can't take that risk."

A pause. "I get it. So _that's _why you wanted him" –he nodded to the unconscious fire mage– "to tag along with us."

"You won't begrudge him that, I hope?" replied the redhead with a quirked brow.

"No." Gray laughed lightly, surprising Lucy. "I hate that bastard, but it might just end up working out better for everyone if he has things go his way– in this particular case, at least."

"Uhm…" Lucy interrupted them shyly. As important as it was for them to sort out their own personal issues, she was more worried about imminent events. She had long since given up on trying to read past their cryptic words, as curious as she still was. "You want us to attack Eisenwald's guildhall, right? What's the plan?"

Would they split up? Stay in a group? Split the _enemy _up and catch them off guard? What did they know about Eisenwald's members' magic? Nervous did not begin to describe what Lucy was feeling right now. Not in a million years did she think that being part of a guild would mean she'd have to join a raid, let alone this early in her career.

Erza slapped a fist into her open palm. The sound of colliding metal was so loud that the other passengers in the wagon turned to them with annoyed glares. Not that it phased the armor-clad woman in any capacity. "Of course! How forgetful of me."

The map on which she had pinpointed Eisenwald's guildhall was laid out as flat as possible over Natsu's not-quite corpse. She traced lines with her finger as she spoke, "The surrounding area is densely packed with large trees. It'll be easy to lose track of our targets if they escape, so let's not let any of them out of our sight and make sure to take them out all at once."

She tapped the marker, though apparently a little too hard as Natsu groaned in his sleep. "We'll arrive before sun fall. There shouldn't be more than a hundred members or so, which means we'll have to take care to not go through them _too_ quickly during the interrogation. It wouldn't do to run out of cooperating captives before we can figure out what they plan on doing with the demon flute."

Lucy gulped. _What do you mean, "go through them too quickly"?! What do you plan on doing to them?_

…Hold on.

"How are we going to 'take them out' in the first place?"

The helmet tilted. "What do you mean?"

"You said there would be about a hundred dark mages, right?" confirmed Lucy. "Are we going to trap them? Cast some sort of spell they won't be able to get out of?"

It was Happy's turn to look confused. "Huh? Why would we need to trap them? We go in, watch them bleed a little, then we're done!"

Oh.

_Oh._

There was no plan.

Lucy dropped her head to her lap in misery. "I want to go home…"

Idiots. She was surrounded by idiots. How the hell were four people plus a cat supposed to come out on top against a _hundred_? She didn't care if two of them were S-class or not!

The train stopped.

Erza looked at the two in front of her in the eye. "Ready?"

"Yeah."

"No…"

"Good," she nodded, ignoring Lucy's whining. In one smooth motion, the woman lifted Natsu off her lap and flipped him over her right pauldron. "Let's go, then. Gray, grab my bags."

To the blonde's surprise, he did just that. Weren't they both the same rank? The man didn't seem like the obedient type, despite his even temper.

…Actually, scratch that. It was an illusion. His temper was actually about as even as a seesaw.

Not at all, so to say.

xxxxxxx

Erigor, the ace of Eisenwald, hummed as he held the peculiar flute in front of him.

"So this is it?"

Kageyama nodded eagerly. "Yeah! I had a bit of trouble finding it at first but–"

Erigor's disinterested glare shut him up. He addressed the man who was accompanying the black-haired wizard, "And you. Did you manage to make yourself useful, new guy?"

It was Kageyama who answered for the plain-looking individual. "He came just as advertised. Undid the seals on the damn thing quickly– quicker than _I _could have, at least."

The individual in question grinned sheepishly. I _told_ you I specialize in sealing magic, didn't I?"

"Say, Erigor…" Kageyama fidgeted. His expression flipped, now sounding a little nervous. "Have you heard anything from… _those _people?"

The dark mage scoffed. "Bah. For such bigshots, I expected them to try and throw their weight around a lot more than they have. Bunch of hermits, really. Not a peep from them since they gave us the quest."

And what a strange quest it was. They'd be coughing up nearly half a billion jewels, and for what? All they asked was that they caused a bit of a commotion with the flute before attacking the Guild Masters.

Not like they weren't going to do that anyway.

"Our apologies for being uncommunicative."

Erigor turned with a start. "You-you're here," he stuttered.

It was a tall, cloaked man. Under the shadows cast by his hood, not much else could be seen other than his prominent bearded jaw.

At his back was a militia of sorts, though admittedly it was a strange one. Their uniform was an armor set that covered the entirety of the body; nothing could be seen of the one who wore it.

As they were, they didn't look like real people.

The hooded man flared his arm to the side. "As an added precaution, we'll lend you a small force to ensure that no one will interfere. Is that acceptable?"

Despite himself, Erigor felt a cold sweat go down his back.

These guys were the worst. He, Death God Erigor, was strong! He feared no man! Yes… _he _was in charge here. They were just the client. It didn't matter who they were.

"That's fine, but make sure they don't get in my way."

The bearded figure was wholly unimpressed by the threat. "I'll be off then."

"Wait!" called out Eisenwald's ace without thinking. "You're just going to leave?"

"Don't act as if much has been asked of you." The man continued to walk away. "Just make sure you succeed in activating Lullaby's curse, and be visible when you do it."

Erigor grit his teeth. "Got it."

The white-haired man was left with Kageyama, the new recruit, and a bunch of blank-faced creeps he wanted nothing to do with.

"Tch. Kageyama."

Being addressed by name, he was snapped out of his silence. "Yes!"

"Gather the guild. We're attacking the station first."

xxxxxxx

The deeper into the forest they trekked, the more uneasy Lucy felt. Who would build _anything _here, let alone a guildhall? Even the _trees _were creepy.

Gross. That one looked like it had a face.

"Are we there yet?" asked Natsu in a bored tone. He evidently didn't share any of her fears.

"You've just asked that a little while ago," complained Happy. Surprisingly, his patience was being drawn just as thin by the pinkette as hers.

Erza, who led their group, suddenly stopped and lifted a fist over her shoulder.

Once she got all of their attention, she pointed.

"Here we are."

Eisenwald's guildhall was frightening, in a word. Admittedly, some would just call it run down, but Lucy was too far taken by the environment and their situation to worry about the guild's state of disrepair.

The blonde's heart thumped heavily in her chest. Were they going to pull this off, were they going to die a painful, horrible death?

She'd just have to find out, much to her chagrin.

"Lucy."

The armor-clad leader's sudden call of her name startled her a little. "Y– yes?"

"Stay behind us for now. We'll show you Fairy Tail's true strength."

Both Gray and Natsu walked forward to flank the older woman on each side. Happy flew off his partner's head and landed on Lucy's.

The girl wasn't expecting the added weight. "Hey, cat! What are you–"

"Just watch," spoke the blue feline mysteriously. "You're about to see something incredible."

The three marched forward with purpose. Their backs were straight, and their heads held high.

An aura emanated from them. Lucy could've sworn it was tangible; that it _pressed _on her shoulders.

Erza's armor glowed, and it slowly withered away. Something new took its place as it disappeared.

It was beautiful.

Wings of silver crafted with a masterful and ornate design protruded from the back of what shared more in common with a dress than with a regular suit of armour. Instead of her intimidating horned helmet, a winged circlet rested upon her head.

Rather than a regular, if not imposing knight, she looked the part of a Valkyrie right out of a child's most imaginative and fantastical dream.

Twin _greatswords _were held in her hands. Pointing one in front of her, she ordered calmly, "Attack."

Natsu took a step forward.

Two.

His pace as he made his way to the guildhall's doors were unhurried. It was only once he was within arm's reach that he tensed.

BOOM

Few could track the fist that rose to _obliterate _the front of the building. One couldn't even call it a hole, for all that remained was the rear half a structure, a pile of rubble and lumber, and hundreds of shocked dark mages who were trying to understand what was going on.

He didn't even use magic.

"Gray."

The knight spurred the ice mage into action. Wordlessly, he slapped the ground with the palms of his hands.

Now that Eisenwald didn't have walls anymore, they needed to look elsewhere to keep the dark mages contained. As such, a twenty-meter ice barrier erupted from the earth, trapping everyone present in a contained circle courtesy of Gray's magic.

Eisenwald's mages were panicked.

"D– damn you!"

"You won't get away with this!"

"Bastards!"

"We'll kill you!"

With nowhere else to go, the army of men charged at the small group, vengeance for their guildhall at the forefront of their minds.

"Blumenblatt."

The armor-clad woman buried her two blades into the earth at her feet.

She wouldn't need them.

Ten… twenty… fifty… a hundred… an innumerable quantity of weapons –axes, swords, spears– appeared over her head with an unmistakable shine of magic. They hummed, filled to the brim with energy; with the intent to _strike down the enemy_.

It rained.

Screams of terror –of _hopelessness– _sounded within the ice trap. With nowhere to go, the dark mages could do nothing but face the inevitable fate of being pincushioned to the surface they stood on.

Luckily –or maybe it was the result of skill– none of them died. Injured, wounded both in pride and body, but not dead.

"Done!" chirped Happy, still sprawled on top of Lucy's head.

The girl in question was caught open-mouthed.

How?

Was this something a human being could do?

No. It couldn't be. She saw it happen before her eyes, and yet…

Happy was right. It _was _done. It was done before it had even started. The dark mages stood no chance against the three that _hunted _them.

For it wasn't a fight. It _was _a hunt. It _was _a massacre. A thorough annihilation.

All Natsu needed to tear apart that massive building was his _bare hands._

Gray made a fortress in an instant– no one could escape.

And Erza…

Lucy still couldn't take her eyes off the armor that seemed to glitter no matter the light.

Erza was a monster.

No… all three of them were monsters.

The blonde cut her thoughts short. She tracked the redhead as she marched forward towards the closest dark mage.

"Where is the demon flute."

"I won't–"

A backhand had him out like a light. On to the next one, then.

"Where is the demon flute."

"Go–"

He was down even faster than the first.

"Where is the demon flute."

Her third victim wasn't even fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to utter a syllable. She knocked him out before she even finished her question.

Lucy had no words. Was this supposed to be some sort of interrogation?

…Suddenly, it was as if her earlier questions had answered themselves. It was made clear why Erza was afraid of running out of people to interrogate.

"Wait! Hold on!" howled a fourth victim before the monster in human skin could even reach him. "I'll tell you everything you want to know! Just don't hurt me!"

Erza froze. "Then why didn't you say so sooner? Don't waste my time again."

"Y– yes."

The newest Fairy Tail mage trembled despite not even being on the receiving end of the tough treatment. On second thought, maybe you didn't need to be all that great at interrogating people if you were scary enough.

"Erigor –our ace– has it!" started the frightened man. "Or at least, he should. A couple of our guys went to grab it, but they were supposed to bring it to Erigor right after."

"What does it do? What's your plan?" asked Natsu.

"Heh. Like _I _would know. Erigor said it would let us get revenge on you damn _legal guilds_," he spat venomously. "I don't really care about the details."

With a bored yawn, Gray dug his heel into the man's wounded side. The pained scream said all that needed to be said about how much _that _was appreciated. "Like we care about your delusions of how legal guilds have _wronged _you. Just spit out where this Erigor guy is."

"…"

The wound started to freeze over, causing the screams to get louder. "Damnit! I don't know! But Kageyama should be back at any time now to bring us to him!"

The Fairy Tail mages didn't know who "Kageyama" was supposed to be, but knowing that _someone _knew where the flute was would have to do for now.

"Gah!"

Another grunt of pain from their poor victim. The sword pinning him to the ground was telekinetically ripped from his body and repositioned threateningly under his throat. The sword's wielder pushed with faked politeness, "Might you have a more specific hour of the day in mind? We're on a tight schedule."

"I swear, he should've–"

Natsu tuned out the noise. He sniffed the air.

He was gone in a blur.

"Whoa…" whispered Lucy, not expecting such speed.

"Natsu must have smelled something," mused Happy idly.

The pinkette wasn't gone longer than an instant. He rejoined the group with a new face in tow.

Literally. He was dragging the poor sap by the top of the head.

"Found him hiding nearby."

"Kageyama!"

Their first captive's outburst told them who their newcomer was easily enough.

Erza stared at the man. "You. I recognize you."

Kageyama's eyes widened. "The hot chick from the bar! You're–"

The redhead grabbed him by the face and pulled him up to eye level. Natsu was forced to relinquish his grip on the man's cranium.

Lucy chuckled nervously from the sidelines. No one could accuse these three of being soft on their captives.

"You'll take us to Erigor," ordered Erza.

"Get bent, you– owowowowowow!"

The metal gauntlet holding his face tightened its grip.

"You'll take us to him," she repeated.

"Yes! Okay! Let go already!" he pleaded. Though muffled, his voice was still audible.

Kageyama was unceremoniously dropped on the ground.

Ominously, frost started to form at the Eisenwald wizard's feet.

"Well?" pressured Gray.

"He's hiding out in town, near the train station. He wants us to back him up."

Erza crossed her arms. "For what?"

The man's nervous scowl fell, an ill-intentioned smirk taking its place. "We're going to play Lullaby over the speaker system and Erigor doesn't want anyone getting in the way. The whole town will fall to its curse."

Natsu's eyes hardened when he mentioned the curse. "Lullaby… so that's what the flute is called, then."

Kageyama's composure seemed to slip away from him. "Ha! Hahaha! That's right… it's the demon flue, Lullaby! It's a death magic. Anyone who hears its melody will drop like a fly!"

The Fairy Tail mages showed varying degrees of shock.

Gnashing her teeth together, Erza allowed her armor to revert to its original state to hide the distress clearly present on her face. "Countless innocent people will die."

"Tch. Like I care. Those so-called 'innocent people' haven't done anything for _us, _now have they?"

She was starting to understand what he was trying to say. He felt betrayed by the world once his guild was exiled from the "light". They were abandoned, their rights and place in society revoked.

How moronic. A true fool.

But still… was that reason enough to commit mass murder in his eyes?

"Why."

"For the money, obviously. We were hired."

Lucy felt her chest tighten.

Oh no.

This was bad.

Even _she _knew what that meant for the quest. This wasn't about a single dark guild anymore, as much as she thought _that _was bad enough.

It ran deeper than that. There was a higher power –an unidentified authority– that was using the services of a dark guild to commit atrocities. Their objective was unknown.

Kageyama laughed in the face of three powerful mages exerting their magical power. "It's no use. I won't talk no matter what you do to me, and I know for a _fact _that none of you are going to kill me. Honestly?"

He looked them all in the eye. He was dead serious. "I'm more scared of them than I am of you."


	10. Eisenwald? What's that?

(A/N) Aaaaaand we're back! Again, thank you to all who reviewed. Both the words of encouragement and the critiques warm my heart. I take every single last one of them seriously.

While I prefer to let the story speak for itself, I can't deny that many of the issues that people have will not be answered for a good while yet. As such, I'll give a quick word on the two big ones, Natsu and Gray.

Natsu was never supposed to be stupider _or _smarter than he was in canon, and Gray was never supposed to be a dickish character that will be bashed on for the remainder of the story. Rather than OOC for no reason at all, my intention was to offer how I think their characters would be influenced by particular yet-to-be-revealed situations **based on their actions in the actual Fairy Tail manga when subjected to similar circumstances. **Unfortunately, I can't flat out state what parts of Mashima's work I referenced without giving away pivotal plot elements, because figuring everything out is a straight line from there.

Additionally, this 3rd person narration is limited. Anything shown to be the expressed thoughts of individuals is entirely subjective and is open to be misinterpreted by both the reader _and _other characters.

Hopefully, saying this now is enough to appease those that are bothered by this, at least until we get past the introductory arc. If by the time everything is out in the open, we've come to a consensus that I've "screwed the pooch", then I'll no joke rewrite the whole thing, and start considering different approaches. This story will continue to have random bouts of crack-y humour, but I don't want that to mean that I don't give weight to the credibility of my cast.

With all that babbling out of the way, please enjoy.:)

xxxxxxx

As they made their way back into town as quickly as they could, riding the magical vehicle they bullied the dark mages into relinquishing, Natsu tried to suppress the trepidation that swelled within him.

He didn't want to deal with _them _right now, especially if there was one of his brother's weapons about to be used. Unfortunately, the logical part of him –small as it was– told him that he might have to either way.

It was probably their fault, to begin with. If a "third party" was using a **Death Magic **tool to such lengths, it _had_ to be them.

Tartaros.

He frowned. There wasn't so much as a peep from them in a _long _time. It was only right that they'd break their silence this way.

"Natsu."

He caught sight of Erza's worry in his peripheral vision. Come to think of it, she probably came to the same conclusion as he did, right?

It would only make sense. If she didn't at least suspect it, she wouldn't have bothered bringing him along, let alone Gray.

He tried his best to was her worries away with a bright smile. "We got this! Let's go kick that flute's ass!"

Lucy sweatdropped. "You mean Erigor's?"

"That's what I said!"

He laughed it off innocently.

But that was a fair point. Was it just a tool? Or was it a…

"There's the station!" Gray shouted.

xxxxxxx

People were running. People were screaming. People feared them.

People feared _him._

Good.

Erigor chuckled as his borrowed army marched its way through Oshibana Train Station's security. There was nothing regular humans could do against _these _freaks of nature.

Still, it was annoying that they were stealing the spotlight. _He _should be the center of attention. _He _was supposed to take the credit here. Not them.

For now, he'd have to settle with the knowledge that all those that shunned him would _repent_.

"Hurry up!" he ordered. "We have places to be!"

This wasn't the objective, but merely a "pit stop"; a way to "sponsor" Eisenwald's endeavors. He didn't give a rat's ass about any of the civilians here –seeing them crumble at his feet would be a sure way to put a smile on his face, regardless– but there would be no sweeter joy than when he'd see the Guild Masters all wither and die before those that they had shunned.

The dark guilds had alliances of their own, but nothing so formal as what the Magic Council had formed. Somehow, _they _thought that their goals aligned with those of Eisenwald, but he wasn't stupid enough to ask what those were.

Not that it mattered. Things were going his way, for once… for the most part.

He frowned. Kageyama should've been back with the others by now. Was there a hold-up? At this rate, he would have to go through with the plan on his own.

Stewing in his own thoughts, he sedately made his way to the station's broadcasting hub flanked by a pair of his employer's goons as well as his own guild's new recruit. He pulled the flute out of his robes–

The whole building shook.

"Go see what that was," he commanded one of the two at his side. He didn't have time for distractions– definitely not when he was so _close._

…The door was locked.

And the "hired help" kicked it down. That worked too, he supposed.

The building shook again.

This time, he was annoyed. "What in the hell–"

"You're Eisenwald's Erigor."

An armoured figure stood at the door. The soldier that he had sent out to investigate laid inanimate at its feet.

xxxxxxx

Lucy couldn't bring her jaw back up. The whole ground floor of the station…

It was frozen over.

It was like a switch in Gray was flipped. He saw the strangely-dressed men, and he turned the place into some sort of contained ice age replica without having thought twice.

No one else seemed to mind, though. Not Natsu, not Erza, and not Happy. The other woman had already run ahead, telling them to take care of any "stragglers", as she called them.

"That confirms it. I hope you're ready, Natsu," Gray asked his guildmate calmly– something the blonde hadn't expected.

Natsu pouted. "Yeah, yeah."

What? Were they expecting something _more_ to happen?

"Say… things aren't looking too crowded, right? Outside, that is," the pinkette asked the room.

"You're right, as a matter of fact," remarked the ice wizard. "I'm guessing the civilians had already evacuated when these guys showed up– or hoping, at least."

Natsu sighed. "That's a relief. There would be a lot more trouble, otherwise."

The uniformed men that weren't frozen solid were few in number. Despite that, none seemed perturbed by the crippling blow to their forces.

Gray slammed his fist into the palm of his hand. "One last push!"

The ground trembled beneath them before he had a chance to act. He canceled his spell in order to maintain his footing, but their opponents weren't so lucky. Debris and rubble fell from the ceiling, crushing the goons.

**"ROAAAAAAAR!"**

xxxxxxx

"Titania of Fairy Tail," Erigor greeted her, though his tone was far from polite. "I do not have time for you, unfortunately. Were it any other occasion, I'd deal with you myself. As it stands–"

Erza had already driven her fist into his nose before he could finish speaking.

"Erigor!" the Eisenwald mage next to him cried in panic.

The remaining uniformed figure tried to attack her while she was distracted, but the armor-clad woman backhanded them cleanly in the side of the head. The figure crumpled to the floor.

"You _bitch_!"

Eisenwald's Ace wasn't going to be held down for long. He swung his scythe in wide arcs, bending the air around him and launching it as projectiles in a show of powerful wind magic. Regardless, Titania stood firm and took the assault unflinchingly. The armoured suit didn't even so much as rattle.

The dark mage growled. "Stop looking down on me! Acting all high and mighty… for what? To prove a point? To teach us a lesson?"

"…"

Erza's silence wasn't well-received.

"Fine then!" Erigor hobbled over to the broadcast console. He made a show of bringing Lullaby –an instrument of death– to his lips. "I didn't want to jump the gun, but I've had it up to _here _with you! Suffer in hell knowing the lives of all these innocent people are on your head, you worthless fly! You'll die, they'll die, and– grrk…!"

Erigor's chest exploded outwards. Splatters of blood landed on the Fairy Tail mage's feet as the now-corpse fell lifelessly in front of her.

The redhead, caught by surprise, quickly looked to the only possible perpetrator.

The unassuming dark mage that Erigor brought with him sighed heavily. One of his hands was smoking from the use of some sort of magic. "I didn't want to do that, Erigor, really I didn't, but if you kept dragging things out for the sake of theatrics we'd be here all day."

"You…" Erza choked out. "You killed him! He was your comrade!"

The mage shook his head with a sad smile. "No, he was just tool– albeit one that wasn't as useful as we had hoped. Regardless, he fulfilled his duties; I can't in good faith fault him for anything beyond that."

Seeing the traitorous man pointing his arm threateningly in her direction, the legal mage quickly raised her sword in a motion to defend herself. Her eyes widened immediately after noticing the sheer concentration of magical power gathering at his fingertips.

She changed strategies. Making full use of her **requip magic**, her steel plates were replaced by a set much more durable. As two halves of a shield were brought closed before her, she had on her shoulders a castle wall that put any of her other defenses to shame.

The attack landed, and Erza grit her teeth has her arms buckled behind her shield.

Who was this man? He was many times stronger than Erigor himself, so why follow him?

…No. He made it very clear that Eisenwald was nothing more than a means to an end.

She remembered the figures that accompanied them; she remembered how _unnatural _they seemed. Doubtlessly, Natsu and Gray had caught on too.

So that was it, then.

The onslaught came to an end, and the woman immediately dismissed her defensive garb in favour of a more combative one.

If her other armours made her out to be a hero, then this one was their complete opposite in that it would suit the most villainous of tyrants. Black, jagged plates were crowned with matching spikes that ran from shoulder to toe. The headpiece could barely be seen underneath her freed locks, but the little that protruded seemed to mock the idea that she was human, imitating some sort of beastly ear of horn.

The image was reinforced by the weapon she now carried. Was it a mace? A sword? To call it as such would be an insult to its wickedness. Despite being as tall as she was, it was carried easily in one hand.

She couldn't afford to play around anymore.

"Tartaros," she greeted, though it came out as more of an accusation. "Why bother infiltrating Eisenwald?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

Lullaby seemingly materialised in his hand, causing her to panic.

"_No!_"

He didn't play it. An energy –as it would be wrong to call it magic– ran through the flute, causing the three eyes on its end to glow ominously.

It was dropped to the ground. Its wooden body grew into roots that slowly spread outwards.

The impostor sighed once again. "It would seem that my job is done, shameful as it is to bring our play to its climax this soon. Were Erigor a little more competent, we might have been able to do more damage."

He motioned to leave, but he was forced to dodge an overhead swing.

"Stay right where you are, you fiend!"

He smiled, unnerving her.

The ground –everything– trembled. Another strike was abandoned in favour of using the weapon as a crutch to hold herself upright once she realized her feet couldn't keep her steady.

**"ROAAAAAAAR!"**

It was growing too quickly. What was once a dangerous weapon was now an even _more _dangerous and sentient being. Its head had already pierced the ceiling, and its weight would do the same to the floor shortly.

"You have other worries, Titania," the mysterious man informed her. "It was a little difficult, but I made sure not to damage his body when we retrieved him. If you don't do something soon, Fiore might be short a couple of cities by the end of the day."

She glared at him murderously, though his laugh did well to show how little he thought of her ire.

"One more thing before I leave…"

In an instant, he appeared near the hole the creature had made. He tilted his head in order to look her in the eye. His easygoing expression fell and was replaced by a somber one.

"Tell Dragneel to come home, would you?"

When the redhead's frown became a snarl, he regained his good mood. His smile was the last thing she saw before he jumped out of sight.

"Tch. Bastard."

She couldn't chase him, and he knew it. As an S-class mage, she had to prioritize the greater threat to the people of this town.

The giant monster grew too larger for the train station to contain. It fell through one of the walls, crashing into the series of buildings next to it.

Slowly, it got to its feet.

**"Haaah… It feels nice to stretch my legs, every now and then."**

Its lethargic movements were unexpectedly abandoned as a wide-swinging wooden fist came to swipe the top half of the station clean off. Empowered by her armour, Erza met the attack with her weapon in a successful attempt to prevent that reality.

Unfortunately, the blow put great strain on her body. While the creature tripped and fell onto its back due to the unexpected loss of momentum, the S-class mage was forced to take a knee once more as her legs started to tremble.

This was bad. Lullaby was a problem of epic proportions onto its own. Now knowing that there were 'others' involved? 'Others' she couldn't see?

They would need Master Makarov's help. He was the only person they could trust right now.

She took a deep breath.

"NATSUUU! GO!"

From the level beneath her, an inferno shot out towards Lullaby.

xxxxxxx

They stared blankly at the gargantuan wooden mass that fell through the side of the building.

"What… is that?" Lucy squeaked.

Neither Gray, Happy nor Natsu answered, as they were caught off guard the same as her. What happened to the dark wizard she was hunting down? What the hell was this thing?

When it got to its feet and prepared to cuff the train station as a whole, they had little time to do anything other than brace themselves.

Happy flew over to Lucy and grabbed her, then moved behind the other two.

Gray shouted over his shoulder, "Get ready!"

But nothing came.

The monster seemed to have lost its footing and fell once more.

_"NATSUUU! GO!"_

Erza's shout came from upstairs.

Natsu's eyes widened.

Gray pushed him in the back. "Go, idiot! We don't have time to waste!"

He didn't have to be told twice.

The pink-haired man ran ahead. Once he felt he had put a reasonable amount of distance between himself and the others, his body was enveloped by a storm of flames.

A gust of hot wind shot back into their faces, and Lucy had to cover her eyes with an arm. Though deprived of her vision, she could hear some sort of muted clap.

Once she lowered her arm, Natsu was already gone.

"Lucy!"

Erza had come back down the stairs panting heavily. She was in her regular armour, though her helmet was held underarm– it was probably difficult to breathe with it on.

"Come with me. We need to get to Clover Town as quickly as we can."

"Wha–"

"There's no time! I'll explain on the way; go to the magical vehicle."

Lucy nodded with a gulp. She ran off with one last worried glance behind her.

Erza wasn't long to follow, though she addressed Gray before she did. "You know what you need to do. Run damage control until we get back."

He nodded silently.

xxxxxxx

The automotive was being pushed to its limits. Erza paid no mind to the stress she was putting on her own body, merely wiping away the beads of sweat from her forehead when too much accumulated above her brow.

"Erza…" muttered Lucy worriedly.

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine," assuaged the armoured woman, though her sights were planted firmly ahead of her. "I must apologize, however. I did not think this would happen on such a simple mission."

Lucy fought every urge in her body telling her to ask which part of the mission was supposed to be simple. Instead, she focused on another important topic at hand. "What _was _that thing?"

"That was a demon… the product of one of the dark wizard Zeref's final infractions on this earth. _That _was Lullaby's true form."

The blonde's mouth flapped uselessly for a while, before she managed to get out, "An actual demon, seriously? Is it alright to leave Gray and Natsu alone? Where are we going?"

Erza's teeth ground together. It was clear that she didn't like the current situation any more than her guildmate. "Demons aren't like regular beasts or monsters. We'll need backup, and unfortunately, there are no guilds in Oshibana. The closest group of wizards are the Guild Masters in Clover Town."

Lucy nodded somberly. "I see."

The redhead didn't return the gesture. If Lucy had bothered to pay it any mind, she might have wondered if there was another reason that the woman wouldn't look her in the eye.

xxxxxxx

Despite its monstrous visage, Lullaby's expression conveyed a clear fascination with the tiny wizard glaring at it from below.

**"Hmm… a disguise, maybe? I didn't realize there was another one so close to me."**

The fire surrounding Natsu dispersed, though some flames remained in the shape of wings and horns.

"**Fire Dragon's**…"

A magic circle appeared in front of him. Fingers wrapped over his lips, he filled his lungs with as much air as he could.

"**Roar**!"

The spell acted in a similar fashion to a flamethrower, though on a much larger scale. Lullaby crossed its arms protectively in front of its body, avoiding any serious damage.

It laughed. **"Is that all, youngling? You'll have to try a little harder than that."**

Natsu clicked his tongue in annoyance. They were probably after him in the first place, so this was his problem to deal with, right? Still…

He looked around and winced. They've already ruined a good part of the town…

It would be too dangerous to go all-out here.

"Natsu!"

He looked over his shoulder. Gray stared back at him.

Despite himself, the pinkette smirked. It was good to know that the bastard still had his priorities straight.

**"How shameful. As a parting gift, I'll show you what a _real _demon can do."**

Lullaby's pores vibrated as its **curse **seeped out of it. If the rumours were to be believed, then any living creature would die upon contact.

With a motion of the hand, Natsu sent a wave of fire in return. The giant's three eyes widened as the flames seemed to _eat _its attack.

That couldn't be right, could it?

They weren't the same ones as before. It was clear that the boy was no longer using "magic".

**"So _this_ is your curse, then."**

The flames didn't stop there. Like a ravenous beast, they endeavoured to consume everything around them.

They were stopped by towering walls of ice.

Natsu sent Gray a thumbs-up. He got an annoyed huff in return.

"Get ready, big guy! You're about to get your shit stomped!"

xxxxxxx

Lucy panicked as a large building came into sight. It was getting closer, and closer, and closer…

"Uhm, Erza? Maybe you should–"

"Take the wheel, Lucy."

"EEEP!"

The blonde panicked and took the controls of the speeding vehicle. The other woman had already let go and jumped out the side.

The spirit mage pumped the brakes and swiveled the steering wheel in a desperate attempt to slow down. Luckily, all of the momentum was lost a few meters away from the front entrance.

"I'm alive…" she droned. A waterfall of sweat rolled down her brow.

Erza was already gone. Seeing as how the door was kicked down, one could probably guess where she went.

Various voices could be heard from inside.

"What in the…"

"Mind yourself, girl!"

"Master, come quick!"

"Who do you think you are?"

"Erza, is that you?"

"What a bother…"

"Is the meeting over yet?"

"Guess so."

Lucy buried her face in her hands and sobbed, lamenting her decision to trust _anyone _from her guild to sport a modicum of common sense or survival instinct.

Moments later, Erza came back out with Master Makarov. He was straight-faced, though there was a tension in his brow.

He nodded her way.

"Let us make haste."

It was difficult for Lucy to associate the perverted-yet-easygoing old man with the serious one in front of her.

He motioned for her to move over. Makarov hooked the magic strap to his arm and sat behind the wheel.

"Hold on tight," he told her.

Before she could ask what he meant, Erza had jumped into the back seat. In the same moment, Fairy Tail's Guild Master floored it.

The blonde held onto the door handle for her dear life.

Barely a minute later, the magical vehicle swerved, barely avoiding being cratered along with the earth they had just occupied. While the machine crashed against a tree, Makarov's arms enlarged themselves to pull Lucy and a recovering Erza out of harm's way before they met the same fate.

Lucy wasn't able to process the rapid sequence before it had already happened.

From further ahead in the forest, a tall, cloaked man emerged.

"Who are you!" demanded the younger woman.

"…You didn't actually think we'd let you interfere, did you?" was his only response.

The moustache of Fairy Tail's eldest twitched as he pursed his lips. Rather than address their aggressor, he muttered under his breath, "You were right, Erza. If there are more of them, we can't let them corner Natsu."

Lucy quirked her brow, but decided she would have to bring it up later. If this man really _was _here to sabotage one of her guildmates, then they would have to deal with him first.

"**Gate of**–"

A titanic man –she would only realize it was the Master after the fact– threw an enlarged fist right at the cloaked figure. In response, the ambusher manifested a tornado around himself that forced the titan to back off lest he have his arm shredded.

"Don't start thinking that you'll be able to beat me, brat."

The tornado dissipated, revealing the hooded figure unharmed. Though his face remained hidden, his lips quirked into a smile under his beard. "Of course not, Master of Fairy Tail, but keeping you here for a little while longer will be enough."

Lucy shivered. She couldn't keep up. She wouldn't be of any help here.

It was a prospect as discouraging as it was frightening.

Weapons of all sorts flew at the bearded man. He was forced to shield himself with another tornado to avoid damage.

Erza's irises were nearly glowing, so high were her levels of exerted magical energy. They locked onto her target unflinchingly.

"Master. Lucy. You two go on ahead. I won't let _this one _interfere any longer."

"You're already hurt!" rebuked Fairy Tail's newest member. "You shouldn't–"

"Go!" yelled the older woman. She squared her back and prepared to engage the enemy.

"Listen to her, girl," spoke Makarov softly. "We can't waste this opportunity."

Startling her, Makarov lifted Lucy over his shoulder and took off running. A lightning bolt came crashing down on them, but it was redirected by a large, metal shield that materialized overhead.

Erza, dressed once more in her blackened armour, swung her vicious-looking weapon across her body. The amount of force she generated tore the earth in a path towards the bearded man, forcing him to step away from the retreating mages.

She grinned, though it wasn't a pretty sight. It was toothy and vindictive. "You don't have the luxury to mind anyone other than yourself… demon."

xxxxxxx

Despite the discomfort she felt being draped over the enlarged shoulder of the elderly Guild Master, Lucy was quietly lost in thought. The only sounds were the rustles of bushes as Makarov's hulking frame pushed his way through the forest at superhuman speeds.

Up until now, she was fine with Natsu and the rest keeping their secrets. As annoying as it was to deal with their bickering, she at least respected that it was their own business. It was a private affair that had nothing to do with her.

But it wasn't fair anymore.

She was stuck in the middle of it, and she didn't have a clue _what _was going on or _why_. Her life had been put at risk today, but she hadn't even been given the courtesy of an _excuse_, let alone an explanation.

"…Master," she spoke timidly. Luckily, she could be heard thanks to their proximity. "Please. Tell me what's going on."

He didn't answer for a moment. The only indication that he acknowledged her words was a sharp exhale.

"You remember why I said Natsu has a tighter leash than most, right?"

She thought about it. "I… think so. It was something about being too destructive when he loses his temper… I think. Does it have something to do with that one quest that no one wants to talk about?"

"…Yes. Though to say the reason is because of Natsu's… dispositions would only be a half-truth."

Her eyes widened.

"Does Natsu need to be kept in line? Most would say _yes_, though it isn't something I would normally enforce, were it any other circumstance."

Lucy shook her head, trying to clear it of any cobwebs in a futile attempt to better understand what she was hearing. "But you said–"

"There are people _hunting _that boy. _Dangerous _people. Whenever they manage to find him, disaster is inevitable."

A gasp. "There are people after him? Then that means… All of this…?"

"Correct. You must not tell anyone what I have just revealed to you. Do you understand, Lucy? Not even the guild."

Her shock made way for indignation on behalf of someone she was beginning to consider a friend. "How is that fair to Natsu! Because of this, he's lost face with people he considers family! He's–"

"It isn't."

The interruption caught her off guard. The wind was taken from her sails.

"It _isn't_ fair to Natsu," he continued, "and yet these measures are necessary to maintain peace. The dark guild –Tartaros, they're called– aren't to be taken lightly. If it became public knowledge that such an entity was after a Fairy Tail mage, the Magic Council would get involved. Were that to happen, nothing good would come of it. _For anyone._"

"…Why Natsu? What do they want from him?"

"I don't know."

"Master–"

"I _don't know_, Lucy. The only people that know the details are Erza, Mirajane, Gray, and Natsu himself. They won't tell anyone, no matter how much they're asked. "

"…I see."

She still didn't have the full picture –or even that big a part of it, really– but it was a start. If nothing else, she could make a little more sense of the situation they were in at the very moment.

Their conversation was cut short as explosions went off one after the other in the distance.

"We're almost there. Are you ready, Lucy?"

All of her doubts needed to be buried for now. All that could remain was determination.

"Yes, Master!"


End file.
